The 30-year-old mother of three was convinced she had aced an interview with a local call centre. She knew she was intelligent, capable and highly motivated.

Then she sat in front of a computer screen.

"I just felt defeated. I couldn’t log in or cut and paste because I just didn’t know the basics — I wanted to hang my head and cry," she recalled.

Experts with the human resources department at Convergys, a continent-wide call centre with three locations in Nova Scotia, knew Ms. Fiddes and a number of others applying for jobs had good potential.

But their computer skills were not up to par.

"This was my chance for stable employment with good benefits," said Ms. Fiddes.

"I had been looking after children in my home but there wasn’t much money in it and there were no benefits."

She had finished high school and had taken her early childhood education diploma.

"I knew I was smart and I’m not afraid to learn but I needed a chance to learn," she said.

Recognizing the need, officials with Convergys approached the Education Department.

In short order, an instructor was hired, CareerworksNova donated a classroom and a 40-hour evening program was held for 10 potential workers....

See the full story at The ChronicleHerald.ca