Finding confidence – Joseph’s story

When Joseph was referred to the Restart Scheme his goal was to better his personal skills by finding employment. With limited work experience, Joseph required assistance with upskilling to develop his transferrable skills to support him on his journey into employment.

Joseph met with his Employment Adviser, Andrea, who got to know him and his circumstances around finding suitable work. Joseph explained that he had previously struggled with anxiety and nerves around social interactions. His previous roles as a Healthcare Assistant, gave him an insight into the type of work he wanted explore.

Andrea shared: “Joseph’s stammer seemed to heighten his feelings of isolation making everyday conversation a challenge. With patience and a step-by-step approach, I introduced him to our in-house courses and bitesize sessions available through the Restart Scheme. Joseph was initially sceptical; however, he grew more confident as his appointments went on, even attending jobs fairs arranged by the Restart Scheme.”

Our team of Employment Advisers can assess job readiness for work, identifying participants strengths, needs and proximity to entering and sustaining employment.

“I had the pleasure of meeting Andrea, my Employment Adviser, and Nigel, my Course Tutor. I didn’t notice it at first, but after a few sessions with Nigel, I felt such a change in my confidence. I grew more confident in myself, with my job search, and how I could answer interview questions.” Said Joseph.

As Joseph progressed through our in-house courses, his confidence grew whilst he received support around CV work and job application sessions. Joseph was job ready and actively applying for roles with and without our help. Following the course sessions, Joseph became more outgoing, interacting with more members of the team and with this, his stammer began to reduce significantly.

After a successful interview, Joseph was offered a customer service role on an apprentice scheme with his local council, to which he was over the moon.

“The Restart Scheme made me feel very welcome at every appointment, and I loved talking to the team. I went from being unemployed, to gaining a job within six months of my referral, and I can’t praise the team enough. It feels so validating to have people like Andrea, and Nigel fighting your corner. They really do believe in you!”