Mark was referred to Good Work Skills via a recommendation, after expressing his need to move forward and find employment. Mark has been receiving skills, training and employment support from Gina, his Employment Specialist, to find a permanent paid role.
Here is Mark’s Good Work Skills journey:
“I was struggling with finding my direction after multiple setbacks and then lockdown compounded these. Unfortunately, my confidence diminished, my outlook was narrowed, and my anxiety was a barrier. I was not sure what I wanted to do or the direction I wanted to go in. I did not believe in myself and did not have any purpose; I needed the work support to overcome this and achieve my longer-term goals.
When I started working with my Employment Specialist, Gina, she not only helped me to improve my outlook, health and wellbeing, she also explored my previous skills, training and work experiences. I knew I wanted to incorporate my existing skills, but past events had negatively impacted my mental health and resilience.
Gina referred me for financial advice, which I found to be especially useful, receiving tips on how to better manage my finances and lifestyle in my current situation. From this, I went on to improve my confidence through training, being active in the community and building my self-esteem back up, all of which Gina supported me with.
We addressed my inability to recognise my existing skill set and Gina coached me in self-confidence. I found the local face-to-face meetings in a familiar setting most useful, as this helped me to get out and have a purpose. Not only did Gina support me with skills and training, she met with me regularly to explore employment options around my preferences and skills and refined how I was job searching, which became focused on quality and specific. Her honest conversations helped me to decide and realise I needed to move forward, and my longer-term future was getting clearer.
When I look back, I am most proud of coming out of my comfort area, into which I had regressed. Gina helped me to look inwardly at myself and develop the ability to recognise avenues that I was not really interested in and say no to, so I became increasingly selective.”
Mark found employment with a teaching agency, working in a design and technology support role on a temporary basis.
“I’m now confident, have a renewed purpose, and an active social life. I have realised in the longer term I want to look for greater stability with a supportive employer, where I can help others by using my lived experiences. I will keep exploring out of my comfort zone, using my research, teaching and learning skills to find my permanent forever role.” Mark
