But Rahila didn't stop there. She was soon studying for a course in interpreting as well as business administration while working part time at her local branch of Age Concern as an Ethnic Minority Hospital Discharge Support Worker. Sixteen months later, she was appointed to work for Newport MIND and is currently a Punjabi Speaking Outreach Worker for the charity.

"I've moved on so much in the past nine years that I can hardly believe it myself," she said. "I used to be very shy and would have difficulty even communicating with guests in my home. But the courses I've undertaken, as well as the work I've been doing have given me an enormous amount of confidence and I would encourage others to take advantage of the wide variety of courses on offer through schemes like RISE."

Rahila is continuing her studies, having recently started an NVQ level 3 course which will assist her with her current job.

"I suppose you could say I'm addicted to learning but the simple fact is that I enjoy the courses and they've helped me achieve a lot over the past few years," she concluded.