Posted By Roy Male Hello All I have just been given my notice of redundancy because the manufacturing company I work for as the Health and Safety and Environment Manager is closing its plant in Wales and transferring its production to China. Although I have sent my cv to some recruitment companies and to local companies I am getting the impression that at 59 I am too old for employment. I have made it clear in my covering letter that in addition to a permanent position I would be very interested in any temporary or termed contract positions. A friend even suggested that I may want to consider working for a consultancy or even set up my own business. Not only do I want to carry on working in Health and Safety for at least 5 to 7 years because I love the job. The money will help to pay off my mortgage and a couple of loans. In 2004 I obtained my NEBOSH Diploma Part 1 with the intention of completing Part 2 this year but the company refused to pay for the course. Although I am a qualified engineer I have obtained 29 years experience in Health and Safety either directly responsible for it or it is a major responsibility in any of the positions I have held. This experience has been gained in Logistics, National Health Service, Automotive Manufacturing and Metal Manufacturing (Press, Weld and Finishing). I would very grateful to receive any advice you may have. Roy

Posted By Linda Crossland-Clarke Hi You are more likely to get work with consultancies if you have your own insurance, and are registered as self employed. Your age could aslo work for you as there are specific schemes targeted at 50+ to keep you in work. By this token, you may be able to access a combination of funding for your setup costs - e.g. purchase of laptop, subscription costs etc. It is hard to find some of this information, but start at Business Link, JC+, regional develoment agency. Before you leave "hoover" as much info as you can from the company. If you decided to undertake an NVQ Level 4, then you could have a lot of it done by keeping copies of the work you have done. If you want further info on funding or NVQ's, feel free to give me a shout. Regards. Linda. SHE Knows. 077 363 117 15

Posted By Jim Walker Can you get funding for your dip as part of you severance package. Your employer has obligations to help you find another job. As Linda says copy everything you can lay your hands on just in case you decide on NVQ4 Ask if you can have any bought H&S stuff if the place is closing. I left a company just before they went bust, a friend told me all my files & the H&S library (£1000s worth)I set up, went straight in the bin.

Posted By ian milne Try not to be dispondant. Young guys like us look up to older guys for advice and guidance based on their maturity and experience of working out problems before we were old enough to know. Ever consider going for any A1 & V1 qualifications and looking around for training or assessment opportunities where people see less of the face and more of the experience. Try the various job hunter websites i.e. worldwideworker.com, monster.com, oilcareers.com etc. Even try the local authorities down your way as they often have short term contracts (as advised in SHP). Good luck to you. There's always space for someone experienced somewhere but it may just take a bit of time. Ian

Posted By rjhills Roy, My advice, having been through the same experience a couple of times, is to write down all your experience (not qualifications cos thats a said, but write a list of every aspect of H&S you have covered, and don`t forget the other "little jobs" like fire safety, security, environmental stuff (EG noise monitoring etc)that you may have had to do in the H&S role you had. Do a small precis for each bit of your experience, and rewrite your cv to ensure it has small bites of your experience knowledge. When sending a cv to consultancies, you wouldn`t believe the type of things they are on the lookout for.And remember the only thing they know about you is what you tell them. If you give the impression of a knowledgeable experienced professional,(Which you are), with summaries of your knowledge, you will get phone calls like you would not believe. Speak to a lot of agencies and send your cv to all the local and regional ones, but don`t forget the nationals. I got an offer within 6 weeks of revamping my old cv on the occasion that my old company relocated. Also, be ready to take on contract work, as some agencies build up a list of people available, and you can get a phone call out of the blue for a contract as a result. Also, ring the agencies regularly, so that the contact consultants get to know you, and your availability. I got a short term contract, and whilst I was in the middle of it, the same consultancy put me in touch with a blue chip organisation, which I joined after contract completion. Do not be down hearted. It isn`t unique what happened to you. Keep going and it will come right for you, regardless of your age. Remember you have got a lot of experience that cannot be gained in the classroom, you have practical experience which is of great benefit whether you look for employment, or go down the self employed route, which I have also done for some years. But do not let what happened to you get out of perspective. There are thousands of organisations of every size, which are desperate to find such a person with your experience. Good luck. JR Hill

Posted By brett whiting sell everything , then go to the costas and toss it off for the rest of your life , you probably deserve it.

Posted By Dick Balcer If you would like to give me a call i would be pleased to offer some options and advice. Regards Dick Balcer 01204 382525

Posted By Roy Male Hello All I would like to thank all of you who positively responded to this thread directly and indirectly. I have taken the vast majority of advice on board and I am following up on the various leads. You may have noted from the tone of my initial posting that I felt a bit down after trying to find a job opportunity for three weeks without any success including some negative feedbacks. However with the comments expressed via this thread I am much more positive and focussed now. I will let you all know in 3 months my current situation. Again thank you all. Roy