After becoming Chartered, I worked as an engineering design contractor for thirty years. This was mostly with EPC contractors and equipment vendors as a contingency worker in Process Design. Contracting was financially positive for many years. It also gave me the flexibility to gain knowledge and experience across various industries and processes, which I believed would make me highly marketable.

And it did – up until about ten years ago. Periods of downtime became longer and more frequent. I began to rely on savings to cover living costs, and over time, this became the norm.

My last contract ended suddenly when the client company went into receivership. By this time, I was sixty-three years old, but I was hopeful that my experience and skills would lead to another opportunity. I quickly found that some previously open avenues were now closed to me, particularly overseas roles, due to age restrictions on work visas.

A year passed with no professional work, as every effort to secure a role was met with silence or rejection. Due to my age, I was struggling to find even manual work. By this time, my savings were depleted, and I was under increasing financial pressure. A colleague then suggested I apply to the Chemical Engineers Benevolent Fund.

The Benevolent Fund awarded me a Living Costs Grant, paid monthly over four months. This support helped cover my rent and gave me breathing space to continue applying for work. It made a real difference during a very difficult time.

I’m pleased to say I now have a new position where I can make use of my years of experience. At the age of sixty-five, I’m hopeful this may see me through to retirement in my early seventies. I’ll always be grateful to the Chemical Engineers Benevolent Fund for their support when I needed it most.

*Certain details of this story have been changed to retain confidentiality. The photo is posed by a model.