Former international referee, Nigel Owens, is backing a campaign encouraging people in Wales who are looking to make a career change to seek expert guidance and coaching from Working Wales.
Once a player, and now a pundit and successful broadcaster Nigel is no stranger to a career change and is able to hone skills he’s acquired from his rugby career and passions. Changing his career for a third time, Nigel is now turning his hand to farming after reigniting a childhood dream following his retirement from rugby.
He’s now encouraging others who want to change their careers to get professional guidance through a career review with Working Wales. Whether you're looking to get back into work after a career break, at risk of redundancy, or simply want to try your hand at something new after working in the same field for a long time, the scheme can help everyone.
Nigel said: “I ended my professional refereeing career back in 2020 when I officially retired, and my knowledge of the game helped me to carve out a role as a pundit and commentator.
“Now I’ve started a new adventure with something completely different – becoming a farmer.
“Farming has always been in my blood, and it’s such a vital part of the rural community I live in. When I first left school, I went to work on a farm, trying my hand at all sorts, so it’s always something I’ve been very passionate about and wanted to do one day.
“Naturally however, refereeing took over my life for the next few decades, but I knew in the back of my mind that I’d always want to go back to farming one day. It’s probably been my dream since I was just eight years old.
"Although farming is a world away from life on the pitch, sometimes herding the cows takes me back to my refereeing days," joked Nigel.
“My journey is proof that you can turn your skills to anything, whatever stage of your life you’re at and no matter what your previous job was. It’s about matching your skills and passions to find something you really love.”
A survey by the Learning and Work Institute revealed that over a third of adults (34%) are looking to change job or career in the next two years, and over two thirds (69%) of the people looking to switch say they will need to develop their skills to do so.
Mandy Ifans, head of employment advice at Careers Wales explains what a career review involves: “A career review is a great opportunity to discuss your current position and where you want to be. The service is completely free, and the sessions are customer-led. So, no matter what your situation, we tailor our advice and support to help you make the decisions that are right for you.
“A careers adviser will ask you questions about your current career and skill set as well as your aspirations and the type of roles you’d like to do next. We’ll then look at what experience you’ve had and your transferrable skills to help match you to a new career," continued Mandy.
“It might be that you need direction on the types of roles available after working in the same industry for a long time, or you could have a clear idea but want to find out how to update your qualifications with any funding available. Maybe you just want to get some interview practice in ahead of an exciting opportunity you’ve secured.
“Whatever your situation, we’re here to help you make that next step in your career journey and support you in reigniting or finding a new passion.”
Rediscovering a childhood passion
Natalie, aged 53, who resides in the Vale of Glamorgan came to Working Wales for careers support after ill health left her unsure of the next steps to take in her career.
With the support of an adviser, Natalie started exploring her career aspirations that could work around her health and the restrictions she faces. Through the guidance, Natalie began to talk about her childhood passion for cooking and baking and this led to Natalie completing a food hygiene course.
Since receiving careers support from Working Wales, Natalie started her career change slowly. She began with small catering jobs on a self-employed basis and was then successful in getting a position as a chef-de-partie on a sub-contracted, flexible, part-time basis, to work around her health conditions.
Talking about the support she has received and her subsequent career change, Natalie said: “The guidance sessions were key to inspiring me and reinvigorating my self-confidence. They also helped me to find the courage to simply ask prospective employers for a job.
“I have been able to rediscover my childhood passion and I have started to make this my new career. It had never occurred to me that my joy of cooking and baking could become a new career for me in my fabulous fifties!”
Working Wales is a service delivered by Careers Wales and is funded by the Welsh Government. Its professional guidance and coaching sessions are run by teams of career advisers across Wales who can help people with their career journey, whatever stage they may be at.
Those looking to find out more about a career review and how to book a free career review can do so by visiting the Working Wales website or calling 0800 028 4844.
