David’s Story
David was referred to Carmarthenshire Working from the job centre for support to get back into work. David had been out of employment for 6 years after suffering with his health and wellbeing. These issues restricted the amount of physical work he was able to do. As a result of this, he was struggling financially and was desperate to find work to make ends meet.
During his first meeting with our mentor, Lee, they discussed what support David wanted from the project. With his background being in construction, he wanted support to obtain skills and qualifications in this field. They discussed job opportunities that would be available in the area and put an action plan together to assist David in gaining appropriate training. Carmarthenshire working put David through courses to gain a telehandler licence and an CSCS card and he was successful in obtaining both.
David attended regular job search meetings with Lee. During one of these sessions, he registered with Acorn Recruitment with the hope of obtaining employment at the construction site for the Wellness and Life Science Village at Pentre Awel, Llanelli.
The one-to-one mentor support and regular meetings helped David to build on his confidence, reassuring him that he would have continued support throughout his journey with Carmarthenshire Working. We were able to provide David with the financial support he needed to achieve his job goals, as well as the support with job search sessions and bringing his CV up to date. As a result of this, David secured employment with Acorn Recruitment working at the Pentre Awel site in Llanelli. David has now been in employment at Pentre Awel for 7 months. He is thoroughly enjoying his role and has been described as an asset to the team and a hard worker.
Lewis’ story
Lewis was referred to Carmarthenshire Working by Mencap, an organisation that supports individuals with learning disabilities.
Lewis showed an interest in gaining employment and was paired with John, one of Carmarthenshire Working’s mentors. On initial contact, it was apparent that Lewis lacked in confidence, especially when undertaking tasks out of his comfort zone. He struggled with weekly face-to-face interaction, so John adapted his approach and began telephone interactions which worked well for Lewis.
To develop Lewis’ personal skills and to build on his CV, John offered him a place on an Emergency First Aid at Work course. He reluctantly agreed as he would be attending the course with individuals he wasn’t familiar with. A few days prior to the course, John contacted Lewis to explain the procedure of the day. It was clear to hear on the phone that Lewis felt a lot of doubt and anxiety about attending the course due to being in a group setting. Shortly after, John received a call from Zara, Lewis’ Mencap mentor, explaining that he was having second thoughts about attending the course. To help put Lewis’ mind at ease, John and Zara agreed to meet him on the day of the course to provide support when Lewis felt like he needed it. Once Lewis was comfortable, he was able to complete parts of the course independently. With Lewis’ determination and the support from John and Zara, he was able to overcome his barrier of being in a group setting and walk out at the end of the day smiling with a new qualification to add to his CV.
