It helped me believe in what I could do next”: Pauline becomes the 200,000th customer of Working Wales
Working Wales, the free careers advice and guidance service funded by Welsh Government, has reached a major milestone – supporting its 200,000th customer.
That customer is Pauline Smith from Cardiff, who turned to the service after taking voluntary redundancy from her radio production role earlier this year.
57-year-old Pauline had been training as a yoga teacher part-time while still working in media. She was weighing up whether to continue freelancing in media or to pursue yoga teaching full-time.
“After I left, I thought, oh well, what do I do now?” she says. “I’d heard about the ReAct+ scheme from a friend, which sounded really helpful, and I wanted to see if it was an option for me.”
Pauline made an appointment with careers adviser, Gareth Richards, at her local careers centre in central Cardiff. Gareth was able to talk her through her options and the support available through ReAct+.
ReAct+ is a Welsh Government funded programme, offering tailored support to those trying to re-enter the labour market and providing grants for vocational training and associated costs.
She said: “It felt worth coming in to see Gareth – just being able to talk to somebody and work out what I wanted to do. By the end, I had a bit more of a clear idea of the sort of courses I wanted to do.”
Now waiting to hear back about funding for further training, Pauline says the process itself has already been empowering. “Coming in and discussing potential next steps almost made them a reality rather than a sort of, you know, ‘oh, that would be nice if I could do that’.”
Pauline’s redundancy wasn’t the first experience she’d had of support from Careers Wales. Over a decade ago, her daughter also received support after struggling with her GCSEs. “She hadn’t really got the results she was expecting,” Pauline recalls. “She wasn’t in a good place mentally.”
“She came out thinking she would go on to college, and that wasn’t going to be an option for her at that stage. It’s kind of a big, scary world out there. But they were very good about creating what your options are.
“It wasn’t just about going straight out and getting a job. It was about taking the right steps to what would be further down the line. The adviser was just really good.”
Reflecting on both experiences, Pauline said: “It’s much more about giving people confidence that they are okay. Everybody has something to offer when they walk through those doors – it’s just finding out what that is and how confident they are in those.”
Now, as the 200,000th customer of Working Wales, Pauline is proud to share her story. “It was just nice to talk through with somebody the fact that I’ve taken redundancy, and to look at where I was at and where I was going to go.”
Nikki Lawrence, chief executive of Careers Wales, said: “Reaching our 200,000th customer is a major milestone for Working Wales and a clear reflection of the impact we’re having on individuals and the wider Welsh economy.
“Pauline’s story highlights how we help people at every stage of life build their confidence, develop their skills, and find meaningful work. Whether leaving school or college, navigating redundancy, or changing direction, our advisers are committed to supporting a resilient, skilled workforce that keeps Wales moving forward.”
Working Wales, delivered by Careers Wales, offers personalised support to anyone aged 16 and over – whether they’re just starting out, facing redundancy, or looking to retrain or change direction.
The service is available online, over the phone, and face-to-face across Wales. It helps people explore their options, build confidence, and take practical steps towards their next opportunity.
Whether you’re 16 and unsure what’s next, or if you’re later in life and facing redundancy, or ready for a change – Working Wales is there to help. Find out more at https://workingwales.gov.wales/.