Changes for the better – Sabiha’s story

“I had been out of work for seven years due to back problems and other health issues, whilst I had the responsibility of caring for my family. I eventually found that I could no longer be responsible for their care, due to my health.

“I needed a lot of support in all aspects of finding a suitable job, as I struggled to identify suitable jobs for myself and health conditions. I was referred to the Restart Scheme, where I met with Skills Trainer, Derek. I found him very approachable, knowledgeable, and relatable - Derek was instrumental in supporting me from the very beginning of my journey to the very end.

“I completed courses with Derek, including ‘Identify the Job you Want’, ‘Transferrable skills’, ‘Effective Job Search’, ‘CV Writing’, ‘Interview Skills’, and two taster days in Business Administration and Customer Service taster day.

“I had a brilliant time on these courses and looked forward to them each time. I learnt a lot about myself in these sessions and it helped me to improve my self-esteem and feeling of isolation.

“During my time on the Restart Scheme, I was experiencing some mental health problems. My Employment Adviser, Junior, supported by always being there for me and listening, helping me through them. I don’t know what I would have done without him as I had no one else to turn to at the time.

“Junior made a referral to a Restart Scheme Wellbeing Adviser, and I was so grateful for this! The service from Wellbeing was great, I was contacted the next day and booked in for an appointment the following week. I found their weekly telephone sessions helped me a great deal and improved my mental health.

“Not long after, I was contacted by Junior with a fantastic job opportunity for me. There was a course being run at Mid Kent College for a remote working job role, with a guaranteed job on completion as a Customer Service Specialist. Junior supported me with the application and enrolment onto the course, and on completion of it, I received a full-time job offer where I was able to work from home.

“I now feel happy and confident in changing my life and future for the better. If I had not attended the Restart Scheme I would not have been able to get a job on my own. The support I’ve received from the team was above and beyond from start to finish. My experience with Restart, was always welcoming and professional, and the receptionist Belinda always had a smile, which made a big difference. I felt at ease whenever I attended, and all my bus fares were covered by Restart for all appointments and training, which helped a lot!

“A big thank you to the team at Restart for supporting me.”