The Heart of Worcestershire College has teamed up with the Stroke Association to deliver its first certified course for stroke survivors.

The 10-week employability course is designed to help those who have suffered from the disease get back into work, through confidence building, and learning the best ways of searching and applying for jobs.

The course – which is free to anyone over 19 and claiming JSA, ESA, universal credit or other main benefit – was led by the college’s learning skills and development officer Carl Whitehouse, at the Stroke Association’s Life After Stroke Centre in Bromsgrove.

“The emphasis of the course is ensuring people feel able to start mixing within the group, as being out of work or experiencing a health condition such as a stroke can lead to isolation,” he said.

“It also helps people develop their functional skills, to help with maths, English and IT.”

Having successfully completed the course, the survivors who took part are now actively looking for, or have already found work.

Christy Weatherby, a coordinator at the Life After Stroke Centre, added: “Around a quarter of strokes happen in people of working age. Stroke survivors looking to return back to work face specific challenges, which can be hard to overcome alone. We’re thrilled with the outcome of the course and the impact in made on stroke survivors’ lives.”

There are plans to run the course again later this year. Those interested can contact ILfutures@howcollege.ac.uk or call 01905 743 595.