A 23-year-old-man from Port Glasgow is enjoying a new
career on the buses after help from employment and skills
specialists Working Links.
Garry Kelly had been out of work for four
months after losing his technician job before turning to Working
Links’ Greenock office for help.
The experts helped Garry overcome his major
barrier to work – a five-year-old conviction for breach of the
peace.
He said: “I gained a job as a bus driver with
a firm but, despite me disclosing my previous conviction at every
stage of the process, they let me go after a few days. I couldn’t
believe it.
Garry really wanted to get into bus driving
but was considering giving up because of the trouble his conviction
was causing.
He added: “My past is exactly that – my past.
The conviction was a long time ago and I am a different person. I’m
open about what I did but I want to move on with my life.
“Working Links has been brilliant. They’ve
helped me with my training and spoke to prospective employers about
me and now I have the perfect job. I’m really happy. I can now pay
bills, plan holidays and my future.”
Garry has now passed his training, is employed
as a driver with McGill’s Buses and says the best thing about his
new job is seeing different parts of the country.
As well as sourcing opportunities for Garry,
the Working Links team helped with job interview techniques,
funding for training, funding for clothing and transport costs.
To find out more about how Working Links helps people call
0800 917 9262.