Restart Scheme
When the UK went into lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, Anthony* lost his job. With a compromised immune system, Anthony was at a much higher risk from COVID-19 and was required to shield, meaning all interactions needed to be done remotely.
When Anthony joined the Restart Scheme, his Job Coach from Shaw Trust initially conducted all the sessions online and adapted every appointment to meet Anthony’s needs. Despite having 10 year’s experience in the maintenance industry, Anthony expressed on each of his appointments how hopeless he felt about finding work. He thought that no one would ever hire him again due to his health conditions and felt there was no way out.
Anthony was coached by Shaw Trust to build a new CV, gain IT skills, and learn new interview and job searching techniques. Along with this, he was provided with clothes to attend interviews and payment for travel costs. Focus was also given to supporting his mental health and wellbeing. As he was shielding, he had lost a lot of confidence. The support helped him to rebuild his confidence by giving him an understanding of what he could bring to the workplace and society, and helped build his resilience whilst he was looking for work.
From the coaching and support given through the Restart Scheme, Anthony was determined to get himself back into work, so he could start to earn a wage and use his skills. He attended multiple one-to-one sessions where he would apply for various jobs each time. Through these sessions, Anthony gained many skills and this helped him put together a fantastic application which led to him securing a job. The job is local to where he lives, the hours suit him and furthermore, he has already been promoted! He has received very good feedback from his manager and Shaw Trust keep in touch with him and his employer regularly to ensure all is going smoothly.
*Pseudonym
