Restart Scheme
Lauren’s* self-confidence and trust in her ability to find work had been eroded when she experienced domestic violence in her homelife. And despite having a level 3 Teaching Assistant qualification, she felt her skillsets were outdated because she wasn’t confident using IT.
By the time she met Saema, her Job Coach at Ingeus, Lauren had moved back to her family and wanted to financially support herself through paid employment but didn't know where to start. And by lucky coincidence Saema had previously worked in the education sector and could offer valuable first-hand experience and reassurance.
That day in tandem with agreeing her job search goals, they devised a strategy to help Lauren feel more in control of overcoming her barriers; financial worries, lack of confidence and outdated functional skillsets. She accepted specialist help from the Debt Manager and the Employment Psychologist so she could rebuild her eroded confidence and financial situation, and enrolled onto a 4-day IT course to bring her skillsets up to date.
In the meantime, Saema worked closely with her colleagues to find a full-time teaching Assistant role close to where Lauren lived so that her travel costs would be minimal. And there was only a slight hitch when she was offered the job. When sourcing references from her previous employers, one was slow to get back, but Saema encouraged Lauren to keep chasing until the reference came through.
Once everything was tied down Saema put Lauren in touch with Suited for Success, a local organisation who provided her with smart clothing for her first day, and arranged support to cover her travel expenses until her first pay cheque.
Lauren explains: “I was very happy with all the support I received. [The Ingeus team] boosted my confidence when I felt like giving up. They gave me such good feedback and made me feel like I was very important. I've started working in a Primary School, so onwards an upwards for me now. Thank you.”
*Pseudonym
