Success Stories
Lauren Ashley Stephens
Lauren attended a recent Gateway To Work course and seemed quite shy in group situations. After some job coaching from the staff in the Chester Street office she proved to be more than eager to find work but was a little reticent in her approach to jobsearch and slowly started to come out of her shell.
As with a lot of people who are unemployed short/medium term she had some minor issues with application forms which we coached her on during week 1 of the course and then during week 2 we added to that skill set and went into further depth about what an employer would like to see in black and white and also at interview.
She completed the course after applying for around 50 jobs in the space of 2 weeks, and needless to say she has been offered a job at Argos, in addition she has attended various other interviews off the back of the jobs offered on Gateway To Work and the excellent work she put into the course herself. Well done Lauren!
Melissa Leybourne
Previous to entering the programme, Melissa found it impossible to secure interviews for Care work as she had no prior experience within a Care Home.
We work closely with most of the local care homes and I managed to secure Melissa a work placement with a local care home.
The CRB was in the process of clearing and I visited another local Nursing Home where I recommended Melissa for employment, explaining that although she had no actual direct experience in a Nursing Home environment she had cared for family members over the past years and seemed ideal for care work.
She had an interview last week and has now secured a part time position which will commence once the CRB check is confirmed.
She is extremely happy to secure employment with a local nursing home and she can't wait to start work.
Darren Demuschamp
Darren was referred to us from Crook Job Centre and was put on the Gateway To Work programme, Darren successfully completed this 2 week course.
Darren lived in a rural area and although he had a license he didn’t always have use of a car. This became hi s main barrier. However he had good transferrable skills from previous employment which gave him a very good head start.
When a vacancy came up working for Momentum as a merchandiser Darren was eagerly keen to apply. He applied and successfully secured a position. Darren is now travelling around the country working in various stores with the benefits of a company car.
We wish him every bit of success!
Darren Holland
Darren was quite low in confidence when he started his IAP course. He had not worked for over 2 years and had not worked in retail for over 7 years. He was finding it very difficult to gain employment in the retail sector due to this and was lacking in motivation.
After some intensive support from the tutors at S&D Training he gradually started to believe he could get a job and more importantly he started to believe in his own ability.
After sending numerous spec letters he was invited to do training for a job at a new supermarket due to open in the area. He was successful in his training and was offered employment in the bakery department which lifted his motivation.
He has since been talking about learning new skills and progressing in the department, a far cry from his original pessimistic view when he first came to us.
Helena Longstaff
Helena was a very anxious lady when she started on IAP and was very reluctant to start employment due to poor health and her age. Tutors soon realised that her poor health was a barrier that she used to try and avoid work because of lack of confidence in her own ability.
The placement officer sourced a placement for Helena at a local shop and after some discussion she agreed to go. Helena was on placement for approximately 4 weeks and while she was quite negative to start with she soon settled in. While on placement gaining some experience she found out about a job that was available in a local amusement arcade that she then applied for.
This work experience allowed Helena to realise that she was able to work and went on to secure a 16 hour contract, which added to tax credits meant she was able to afford a better way of life for her and her daughter.
Ian Murther
Ian had been unemployed for 18 months yet had a good work history, having worked as a nightclub manager. He was determined to gain employment once more and engaged well with the programme.
He was placed on a work placement at the Wilkinson Store in Bishop Auckland which he thoroughly enjoyed. He was delighted with this new work opportunity which helped boost his confidence considerably. When a full time position came up within the company Ian was quick to apply for the job.
Ian was successful and will commence work for Wilkinson’s store on 6/11/10. He is a hard working gentleman who thoroughly deserves this employment opportunity.
David McFarlane
When David first came to S&D Training it was evident that he was a hard working and devoted family man who had fallen upon difficult times due to a life threatening illness. His ill health contributed to his unemployment status and this has also impacted upon his recent efforts to secure new work opportunities.
Undeterred, David has decided with IAP IAG support to go self employed as a maintenance man. David is doing ok and building on his reputation as a credible builder in order to support his family. We wish him every success.