'I WANTED TO GET OUT OF SALES AND INTO THE COUNTRYSIDE'.

THE CAREERS ADVICE SERVICE HELPED STUART GET THE TRAINING HE NEEDED

One day, two years ago, Stuart Baker, 34, woke up and decided he was going to change his Iffie - with help from the Careers Advice Service and Adult Leaming Grant (ALG) hels on his way to achieving his dream job.

Stuart had held down a good job in s...les at a builders' merchants for eight years, but he had a nagging feeling that he wanted something different for himself and his future. What he really fancied was a job outside, working in the countryside - and that feeling didn't seem to go away.

'I've always been interested in nature and the countryside and in my early teens I was involved in a local nature club,' he says, 'but when I was at school, conservation and nature didn't seem very cool, so I didn't consider it as a career option. But IVe always thought I would want to work in this field and to be paid to do something I really enjoy.'

On the day in question, he logged on to the Careers Advice website, www.direct.gov.uk/ careersadvice and realised that he might be eligible for Adult Learning Grant to help him fund a National Diploma in Countryside Management at Moulton College, Northampton.

The problem with the 2-year Diploma course was that it did not allow him to apply for a Student Loan. It was practical and vocational and might lead to a great job in conservation, game keeping or estate work, but Stuart and his wife Rachael, 31, would have to survive on only one salary while he was doing it.

'I knew this was my last chance, as my wife and I were keen to start a family, and we knew that once we had a child I would need to be working full time,' he admits.

When Stuart rang up the Careers Advice Service, they were very helpful and told him that he was eligible for ALG. This proved vital in the difficult decision to go down to one wage. There are various levels of award and we qualified for pounds 20 a week,' he says, 'pounds 80 a month m...kes a big difference - thafs two weeks' shopping!'

Stuart graduated this June with a distinction and his first child, Elspeth, is now three months old. Following advice from the Careers Advice Service he's now actively looking for work on specialist websites, in trade papers and by contacting local estates.

Stuart read some careers information about countryside management and found that many of the jobs in this line of work are often filled by word of mouth. This got him thinking about how he could build up contacts in the industry and get his face known. So he contacted one of the professional bodies to find out about conferences and trade fairs. He also joined some forums on environmental careers websites to swap tips with other people looking for work in this area.

To prepare for applying to employers directly, Stuart got some advice from the Careers Advice Service on how to make his CV stand out from the crowd. They gave him some really useful tips on how to seil his strengths on his CV and make it easy for employers to read. He knew that when you're approaching employers directly, first impressions count."

His ideal is to work on a big estate in the Peak District, around Chesterfield, where his wife's family comes from. To get more experience and still more relevant skills for his new career he's a full time Volunteer Officer at the Northamptonshire Wildlife Trust.

Stuart knows he would never go back to s...les. 'My job sometimes involves belng outside in the cold, but every day is different. One day you might see a grass snake, the next a rare butterfly - its fantastic. The advice I got from the Careers Advice website really helped me to get to this point. lt's the life for me and I really enjoy it!'

For careers advice visit www.direct.gov.uk/careersadvice or call the Careers Advice Service on freephone 0800100 900*.

ALL ABOUT ADULT LEARNING GRANT

There are different forms of financial support out there to help people gain the skills they need to succeed, secure their future or grow their income. For example you could receive Adult Learning Grant (ALG), discussed tiere:

Who*s eligible?

ALG is available to adults who are planning to study in England. You may be eligible if you're studying full time (this can be as little as 12 hours a week) on a course that will lead to your first full level 2 (5 GCSEs at grades A* to C or an NVQ2 or its equivalent) or your first full level 3 (2 A levels or an NVQ3 or its equivalent) qualification.

Whafs it for?

ALG is designed as a helping hand for adults thinking about learning, but worried about the financial barriers standing in their way.

How much can you get?

ALG provides up to pounds 30 a per week, subject to income assessment, to help with costs of learning, such as books, equipment and travel.

If you want to find out about f unding for your training visit www.direct.gov.uk/en/ EducationAndLearning/AdultLeaming/Financial HelpForAdultLearners

Terms and conditions apply

*Please note that only calls from a landline are free, mobile calls will be charged.

CAPTION(S):

STUART BAKER: Is dose to getting his dream job thanks to Adult Learning Grant (ALG).