Breaking barriers – Chakra’s story

“When I met Chakra for the first time at his initial appointment, he hardly spoke any English, but I could see his determination to work and willingness to help his family.

“Chakra had previous experience as a security guard, and he was aware that to start work in this sector he would need to complete an SIA course. As the courses are delivered in English, it became our priority to support Chakra in overcoming his language barrier, and so I enrolled him onto ESOL to help him with understanding conversations verbally and written to increase his active vocabulary and overall confidence," said Employment Adviser, Daniela.

After a few months of ESOL, Chakra had successfully completed his course, feeling more confident with using and understanding the English language. Daniela and Chakra both identified his readiness to proceed with the course for his SIA certificate.

Like Chakra, many participants benefit from our in-house courses delivered across our offices, which offer targeted sessions addressing common employability barriers faced when seeking work.

Attending in-house courses with the Restart Scheme, not only helped Chakra improve his skills in employability, but he found the social element of working with like-minded people supported his development of learning the English language. Daniela told us:

“Chakra attended all internal sessions that we booked, building language skills and increasing his vocabulary in English.”

At a recent jobs fair held at the office, Daniela arranged for Chakra to come along and meet some of the employers attending. On the day, he made progress by meeting several employers in person and was invited to interview as a result.

Daniela said: “Employers at the event were impressed by Chakra’s determination and proactive attitude. Just a few weeks later, he successfully obtained his SIA certificate. Ahead of the next jobs fair, Chakra dedicated extra time to learning and preparation, and came equipped with a newly created CV, ready to submit applications.”

The Restart Scheme supports participants through the financial transition back into employment, whether that’s covering travel expenses or providing smart new workwear. Our team will help make the move into employment financially smooth and stress-free.

As a result of meeting an employer at his first jobs fair, Chakra attended a second event, where he met the same employer again. They were astounded by the progress he had made and invited him to interview. Chakra was successful and was offered a security position.