Hi, I am 45yrs of age. I hold Nebosh General cert, Nebosh fire Cert both with Credit. I also hold CIEH level 4 also with Merit. I have 27yrs work based knowledge split between catering and construction. I am finding it hard to secure any type of feed back only that i need more experience. How can i gain this if no one will give me the chance to show potential employers that i am committed to health and safety. I would like to think that it is the economic climate, but could my age be the sticking point. I live in the Wigan area and would treat all views with the greatest respect.

Latchy Age does play a certain part of the equation but not that much. I am 61 nearly 62 and over the last five odd years I have had headhunters approaching me for different positions. I have also had quite a few job offers, two over the last year and had to turn all but one down due to the packages offered. One thing I have deduced in my years of Occupational Safety and Health Practice is that the older I was getting the more sellable I became and that was down to experience and of course Health and Safety qualifications by examination which is what most of the company are looking for, well in my case anyway. Other people may have different stories to tell. When I first went into Health and Safety Practice running on a NEBOSH Diploma I couldn't secure a health and safety position anywhere so whand at I did was to take up a Facilities Managers position with Elettronica UK Ltd. I then made a deal with the boards of Directors that I also took on Occupational Safety and Health as part of my duties to get experienced. Two years later I became more sellable and after five years worth of commercial experience and that's when the interviews started to flood in. My CV was looking healthy, I was feeling good. Latchy, may I suggest that you go for the NEBOSH Diploma or equivalent, you will become more sellable then my friend. Good luck in your quest for excellence.