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A positive outlook and a growth mindset made all the difference for Chelsia Low, a mother of two primary school-going boys.

Having worked in her previous company as a regional operations manager for 17 years, getting retrenched was the last thing she expected. But as fate would have it, her entire department was shut down as the company underwent a significant restructuring due to the pandemic.

While Chelsia felt lost and helpless initially, it did not take long for her to realise the opportunities that her situation presented. After taking time to reflect and putting her priorities in place, she knew this was the right time to upskill herself. With the support of family and friends, she signed up for courses with NTUC LearningHub (NTUC LHUB) after much research.

On her desire to upskill, "You see no reason to venture out when you're in your comfort zone. The retrenchment was the best thing that happened to me. It woke me up. I can be the fish swimming in that pond, but the pond dried up. It was best for me to look for opportunities beyond what I’ve always known. It's never too late – it's just a mindset shift."

With the help of NTUC LHUB's course consultants, she started her skills certification journey by signing up for the Project Management Professional, Certified Scrum Master and Data Analytics courses. Her experience in managing projects was an advantage, as she was pleasantly surprised that these courses were relatable to her previous job. In addition, the certifications gave her the boost of confidence she needed in her job search.

Chelsia’s upskilling journey at NTUC LHUB resulted in her landing a regional marketing role at a new company with better salary due to her impressive skills portfolio. She is optimistic about the future as she sees skills certification as a stepping stone to bigger and better things. Chelsia is a testament that it's never too late to start on a reskilling and upskilling journey to prepare ourselves for the future.

Her learning journey does not end here. She recently signed up for the Agile Coaching, Agile in Enterprise and Business Agility courses to help build her capabilities in leadership and change management. She says that books can only teach you so much, but the real learning comes from sharing knowledge and experience with others – an invaluable lesson that she experienced at NTUC LHUB. As the courses are interactive, stimulating open conversations allowed her to expand her network of mentors, peers and meet like-minded people in similar situations.

Chelsia has encouraging advice for those going through a difficult life period. "You are not alone in this journey. However, the choice lies with you, in what you want to do. You can continue to dwell in sorrow or pick yourself up and see the glass as half full. This will help you realise that now you have a valid reason to continue learning and upgrade yourself," says Chelsia.

Reach out to our Skills Consultants to find out more about how you can transform your life through learning today!