'I had many sleepless nights - I thought I'd never work again'

When Xanthe had her first daughter 12 years ago, she did not expect to spend a decade out of work.

In 2013, she left her job at Manchester council in search of a less stressful career. But after exhausting all avenues, she almost gave up.

She volunteered at a charity shop in the hope that it would help her find a job in retail. She even completed an accountancy course.

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But for 10 years, she 'didn't get a look in'. "I used to have sleepless nights," she said. "I thought, why would anyone employ me?"

Everything changed when Xanthe, who lives in East Didsbury, decided to make the move into the world of data. Now a mum-of-two, she completed a Cloud Analytics Bootcamp with IN4, a digital skills training and business support provider based in Salford, last year.

Xanthe had previously 'dabbled' in tech, learning code while her kids were at nursery and completing some free courses online. But after signing up for the 24-week government-funded bootcamp, she suddenly noticed a huge difference when she applied for jobs.

"I started to feel like I'm in demand and people are interested," she said. "It was instantaneous."

After receiving several calls from employers interested in hiring her, Xanthe started working as an Apprentice Business Analyst with Modular Data in April 2023, ending her 10-year career break. Starting on a salary of £23,000, the 42-year-old now earns £31,000 a year.

And the best bit? The job is fully remote, meaning that Xanthe can fit in the school run and be there for her children when they are at home. "It's boosted my confidence," Xanthe explained, "I used to worry I didn't have enough to talk about or much interesting to say.

"I'm