Nigel Gleeson - Darlington
“Working Links have done more for
me than anyone could imagine.”
At the start of 2010 Nigel Gleeson had been
out of work for a year and was homeless, penniless and jobless.
Nigel came to Darlington after getting divorced and he found
accommodation at the Salvation Army before trying to find retail
jobs in the North East of England. Things didn’t go to plan though,
“It was very difficult, I felt because of my age no one wanted to
employ me and I wasn’t even getting interviews.”
Jobcentre Plus directed him to Working Links
where he began working with his consultant Marie Clarkson. Marie
quickly realised that Nigel would benefit from confidence building,
a job interview help session and also support to buy an interview
suit and tie. It paid off and within just four weeks Nigel found
work at the Clifton Road Sainsbury’s in Darlington.
“With Marie’s support I felt much more
confident going to the interview and now I love my job. I think I’d
still be signing on if I hadn’t had the support from Marie, she’s
one in a million and she really went the extra mile.”
Marie continues to offer support to Nigel and
has supplied him with a character reference, ordered a birth
certificate and, as part of the in-work support service, will be
ensuring Nigel settles into his new job.
Louise Doyle and Andrew Byrne – Newcastle
“The help that we’ve had from Working
Links has been fantastic, none of this would have happened without
their support. I am really looking forward to the future
now.”
Louise Doyle and Andrew Byrne have turned
their lives around and found jobs in the North East of England
which they love and a new place to live, thanks to the employment
training services from Working Links. Louise and Andrew had been
illegally evicted from their home and were living in a caravan when
they came to Working Links.
Working Links tutor Alan Turnbull helped them
contact Cheviot Housing Association whilst they both attended
Working Links’ 13-week internal pre-employment training course
which helps people look for and prepare for work.
Within a few weeks they had a new home and
Louise had a new job as a deputy manager at Playdays in Wallsend
thanks to a placement organised by Working Links. The return to
work training programme had also given Andrew the confidence to
apply for a job in catering, an area he’d always been interested in
and now he’s working as an Assistant Cook with Four Seasons care
home.
In just a few months the couple have gone from
being penniless and homeless to having a healthy regular income and
a home they’re happy with and they continue to receive in-work
support from Working Links.
Louise said, “I’m absolutely ecstatic now with
the way my life is going, I’m really happy with my new flat. I love
my job, I have childcare qualifications and I always wanted to work
with children so this is a great opportunity and the programme gave
Andrew support to find a catering job which is what he’s always
wanted to do.”
Sian Jones – Manchester
“The job is absolutely brilliant,
everyone is really nice, it’s lovely working with them they’re a
great bunch and the job is challenging but very varied. It’s
exactly the type of job that I was looking for.”
Having been out of a job for two years, lone
parent Sian Jones was apprehensive when she came to Working Links.
She joined the return to work training programme Fit 4 Work to help
her build her confidence, receive help with C.V. preparation, gain
interview skills and explore job opportunities.
“I felt I was in a real rut, I had no C.V. and
my confidence had gone down but I was determined to have better
prospects for me and my children.”
Whilst working on her pre-employment training
a job came up as a receptionist for our new Manchester office in
Marble Street and Working Links suggested that Sian apply for the
job. Sian’s friendly personality and enthusiasm came across well in
the interview thanks to the job interview help she’d received on
the course and she was offered the position.
“Being out of work for a long time makes
you forget who you are as a person and the Fit 4 Work return to
work training programme made me feel proud of my achievements in
bringing up the children. I felt more confident after just two
weeks.”
As part of her in-work support from Working
Links, Sian has attended courses on being a fire warden, first
aider and gained health and safety training.
“Part of my job is greeting people who are coming here,
like I did, to try to turn their lives around. I tell them that the
return to work training course really did make a huge impact on my
life.”
If you live in the North of England and would like to find out
more about how Working Links can help you then please contact us or call us free
on 0800 917 9262.