Working Links has helped more than 1,000 people in the
North Yorkshire and Humber region return to work through a
programme helping people on health-related benefits find jobs.
Operations manager at Working Links, David
Hawley said: “We are delighted to have reached the milestone of
placing 1,000 people into work. It’s a real achievement for all
involved, to have helped so many people overcome their personal
barriers and return to work.”
Tonilea Woodhead, the 1,000th
person placed into work on this programme, had been out of work for
six months when she was referred to Working Links by Jobcentre Plus
to start her journey back to work. Tonilea made the breakthrough
last month and is now employed locally by Orchard Care Homes as a
Care Assistant.
Tonilea previously worked in a factory;
however this work didn’t suit her skill base and lead to her
leaving under health reasons.
Rachel Berryman, Tonilea’s personal consultant
at Working Links said: “Tonilea is a people person so we looked at
a range of options during her initial assessments for the type of
work that would suit her skills and attributes; care work was a
high priority.”
Tonilea received help putting a CV together,
help with job searching, completing application forms and tips on
interview techniques.
Tonilea said: “All the support I received from
Rachel gave me such a confidence boost I really felt I could now
face going back to employment and was ready to start applying for
jobs.”
Working Links works in partnership with
Remploy to help fill their vacancies with suitable candidates.
Oliver Smith, Account Manager at Remploy said:
“We have an excellent relationship with Working Links and Tonilea’s
success is another great example of our working partnership in the
region.”
Tonilea couldn’t be happier to be back at work
and is really enjoying her new role saying “I really do have my
life back on track now and feel like I can achieve anything, I
couldn’t have done it without the support of Working Links.”