From 100+ applications, I got the job! - Ryan's story

When Ryan was referred to the Restart Scheme by Jobcentre Plus, his goal was to find work in a warehouse environment. Employment Adviser, Bradley recognised that one of Ryan’s biggest employment barriers was the limited work experience that he had.

Ryan’s confidence started to build after he was invited to a three-week training programme, which offered a guaranteed interview for Akzo Nobel’s factory roles on completion of training. After attending all course sessions, and participating in group tasks and shadowing, Ryan was successful in his job interview and was offered the role of Process Technician.

The Akzo Nobel, construction programme is a sector routeway course, which was made available to participants on the Restart Scheme during a recruitment drive. This enabled participants to take part in classroom sessions and factory visits during a short course to learn about the roles available to them. On completion of the programme, participants were guaranteed an interview for multiple roles of their choice at the Akzo Nobel site.

The role Ryan obtained was only available to four positions, which received over 100 applications!

Bradley told us: “During his time at Restart Scheme, Ryan attended various skills courses, and job clubs to support with his job search journey. Due to Ryan’s limited work experience, he was unsure if he would be successful in the Akzo Nobel routeway, arranged through the Restart Scheme.

“We were able to prepare Ryan by brushing up his employability skills, so that he felt confident in himself and job ready. The Restart Scheme courses: ‘Interview Skills’, ‘Job Searching’ and ‘CV and Applications’ sessions really helped Ryan to build up his confidence and prepared him for the reality of life in the workplace.

“This role will give Ryan a career with the opportunity to progress further. He has already explored options on renting or buying a house, to give him the independence of living on his own. Ryan will be earning more in one week at work than his monthly benefits and has acknowledged this was life changing!”