When Amanda registered with Employability Durham she had been, up until recently, caring for her mum and looking after her two children, the youngest of whom was about to start primary school. She was looking for a fresh start, was about to move to a new house and needed help finding work this was just as the UK was in the throes of the pandemic and the first lockdown - a challenging time.

Amanda's dream had always been to work in childcare or the education sector and before having her children she had attended college and gained a Level 3 Childcare qualification and had undertaken student placements at a local primary school helping small groups of children who were struggling to read. Amanda loved the placements, finding the work rewarding and feedback from pupils, teachers and parents had been all very positive. However, just as Amanda had left college to look for work, she found out that she was pregnant with her first child.

Amanda's confidence was low when she started working with her Mentor, Debbie. She had not worked in 12 years and as primary carer for her two children was keen to secure part-time work that she could fit around her children's needs. Due to Covid-19 restrictions, Amanda and Debbie were unable to meet and therefore used a variety of other ways to communicate including phone, text, Microsoft Teams, and email.

Together they mapped out a route to achieve Amanda's goal, discussed different career options, looked at jobs being advertised and transferrable skills that Amanda could bring to the roles, they reviewed Amanda's CV and started to apply for jobs working on application forms together using Teams. With each step Amanda's confidence grew and before long, Amanda was over the moon to hear that she had been invited to an interview. Together they prepared for the interview discussing how it might be different given the Covid-19 restrictions; Amanda attended her first ever interview - although Amanda was not successful the feedback was positive. Amanda and Debbie researched future training and volunteering opportunities once restrictions were lifted, along with continuing to apply for jobs. It wasn't long before Amanda was invited to another interview, together they practised answering questions and doing mock interviews.

Amanda was overjoyed to receive a call to say that she had been successful, and they would like to offer her the job of lunchtime supervisor. She started work in January at a local primary school, she loves the job which fits in with her circumstances and is easily accessible. Amanda sees this as the first step on what she hopes will be the career she has always dreamed of and has already offered to do volunteering in the classrooms when things return to normal.

"Working with Employability Durham has helped boost my confidence - it has been such a positive experience. I have learnt how to recognise the skills and experience I can bring to a role and to step out of my comfort zone and give it a try - I love my job, even the challenges with Covid-19 but mostly the opportunities for the future - best of all doing something worthwhile and being part of a great team."

After having three children, Qiaoling realised her previous work as an interpreter was no longer suitable as it often involved travel and long periods away from home.

Qiaoling came to Employability Durham as she knew she was keen to work with children in a school setting. With her degree in English, she was very well qualified but had not been in the workplace for almost 10 years. Employability Durham were able to help her identify areas of interest and skill gaps and discussed a route in working in schools via an apprenticeship.

Employability Durham were able to help Qiaoling explore links with DurhamLearn, Learning Curve and Bishop Auckland College around courses in teaching assistance and specialist qualifications in Special Educational Needs and Disabilities, in order to get the most out of her apprenticeship.

As Qiaoling had been out of the jobs market for some time, Employability Durham were able to help her with her application. This included support and advice regarding an updated and enhanced CV, interview preparation and practice.

They also discussed options around childcare. With the support of Employability Durham, Qiaoling was offered a facilitated work trial and a flexible fund to provide workwear to start her new role.

Qiaoling has now settled in and completed 3 months of her apprenticeship. Her children have settled into a routine and are now used to her going to work. She receives great support from the school and has been able to complete some of the larger apprenticeship modules and is looking forward to the year ahead. The apprenticeship opportunity has allowed Qiaoling to further her career with new qualifications whilst earning and gaining valuable workplace experience.

Samantha Bennett from Sherburn Hill sent us this:

"Just a note to say thank you so much for your ongoing support over the past few months. You've really helped motivate me to promote my business and not to be afraid of applying for other jobs that interest me! Because of this I've been able to secure a temporary food consultant role at a local pub working with the Head Chef to create a healthy menu for the summer. Something I never thought was possible without your motivation and support! This has helped bridge the gap so I can continue to support my Slimming World members while spreading the news that my Slimming World group is still open! You have been an absolute pleasure to work with and whoever you help next will be in very good hands."

Sam is going from strength to strength and along with the Tuesday group she runs in Sherburn Village, she has now been asked to look after another two groups at the end of May - Gilesgate on a Wednesday evening and Framwellgate Moor on a Saturday morning.

Chloe was referred to us at Employability Durham by her work coach at Jobcentre Plus. She had a small income from a few hours work each week as a paid carer for a friend, usually this would have excluded Chloe from accessing our programmes but thanks to FLEX we were able to work with her.

Laura Whitehead was assigned as Chloe's adviser and they started their journey together by looking at Chloe's current situation, where she would like to be and pinning down what was in the way of her achieving this.

Ideally Chloe was thinking of looking for work as a teaching assistant but wasn't sure where to start to gain the right qualifications, she was also struggling with anxiety and having left college early due to this in the past she was understandably cautious about trying studying again. With two young children, her partner's self-employment impacted by Covid restrictions and her additional caring responsibility this was a lot to juggle!

Laura helped Chloe to look at all the options available for gaining a Teaching Assistant qualification, including the timescales involved, her study commitments, and what doors this would open in the future.  They eventually settled on accessing a Certificate in Supporting Teaching and Learning in Schools through the council's DurhamLearn (formerly Adult Learning and Skills Service). This meant Chloe didn't have to worry about the added strain of entering a large college environment as all the sessions were conducted in small groups in community venues close to her home. They also discussed accessing support to manage anxiety through Wellbeing For Life and Laura was able to use the FLEX programme's funding to provide Chloe with the tools she needed to be successful with her course.

Chloe is now well on her way, she's confident that she can progress with her goal of becoming a teaching assistant through completion of the course in an environment that suits her needs.

When John first got in touch with Employability Durham he had been out of work for a year due to his health. With his conditions under control, he decided the time was right to get a bit of help to look at his options for returning to work. John was matched to our North Durham Assist programme.

John had huge experience behind him with an extensive CV in heavy plant work, construction and civil engineering as well as supervisory experience. Whatever types of role he decided to pursue would need some refresher training and ticket renewal.

With Katherine and Emma's help John weighed up his options, together they looked at the labour market, jobs available and discussed John's own personal goals around salary expectations, job satisfaction and work-life balance and settled on a course of action: to renew his Streetworks tickets and seek work he knew well, could earn a good wage and be able to support his son in getting into the industry.

Decision made, Emma was able to source the appropriate training and book John a place on a Streetworks course using our flexible fund. She also ensured John had all the relevant paperwork and ID to access the training and overcame a problem with a delay in new cards being issued, which may have meant John couldn't start work, by securing a letter from the training provider to prove he was qualified.

John has a job offer and is just waiting for his licence and qualifications to come through so he can get started.  John is hoping to take his son on as his apprentice also.  

"The girls at Employability Durham helped me with the support I needed to attain certificates to get back in the work place. They were extremely helpful every step of the way and I am now in full time employment.

"I would definitely recommend them to anyone struggling in finding a job or a new career path. I am very grateful to them."

North Durham Assist, funded through Community Led Local Development, has been able to support Durham residents in some of the more deprived areas. One client who was given continuous support throughout lockdown was Jill Swann, who was a carer for her family for several years and decided it was time to focus on herself.

Jill came to Employability Durham with a host of 'juggling skills'. She'd suffered an injury a few years back, cared for her mother and other family members and is a single mum of three children. Jill had decided that now her youngest was in full time school, it was time to look at returning to paid employment. Jill's mentor, Alison supported her in identifying her transferable skills, talking through the realities of different types of jobs, updating her CV, making job applications and interview preparation. They looked at opportunities to gain accreditation in Maths and English, something that a lot of advertised jobs asked for. Alison helped Jill to navigate the recruitment processes for the NHS, including completing applications and preparing for interview.

Jill was offered a position as a care assistant for the NHS but due to Covid-19 things had to be put on hold. During lockdown Alison continued to support Jill with preparations for starting work. This included a DBS check, medical forms and 12 online training modules that needed to be completed. Alison also supported Jill with bus travel, clothing for interviews and workwear to start employment.

David, 26 from East Durham, came to Employability Durham, part of the Economic Development team at Durham County Council, after spending some time with an independent charity for men, women and families affected by drug and alcohol addiction. David had worked hard to overcome his addictions and had been clean for four years, however, when he was referred to Employability Durham he was sofa surfing between several friends and family, lacking in self-confidence and unemployed. Despite this, David was determined to succeed.

After an introductory chat, David was matched with Kate Clennell, one of the Mentoring Officers working on the L!NKCD programme. L!NKCD is designed specifically to recognise that sometimes people aren't ready to move into work immediately, support is offered to address a variety of things that might be in the way of holding down a job. At their initial meeting, Kate spent some time putting David at ease, getting to know and understand his situation, his goals and ideas, and ensuring him that they would not rush. Together they identified that help with housing, confidence building, job searching and applications would be beneficial and they built up an action plan to identify what each of them needed to do and attached timescales to this to make it realistic. Action planning helps to break down what can seem huge goals and make them manageable and achievable. All clients of Employability Durham have the opportunity to design their plans with their advisers and review them regularly to remain on track.

Kate and David agreed on a mixture of telephone and face to face appointments and meetings were arranged to help David explore the pathways available to him, they also kept in touch outside of these formal appointments by text and email to ensure momentum. Kate looked into training and job opportunities that were accessible and would match with David's skill set, whilst being realistic with the current labour market and mindful of a realistic travel to work area using public transport. They soon came across an opportunity with Careline Lifestyles who offered David some training with the prospect of it leading to employment.

Alongside exploring work opportunities, Kate acted as an advocate for David, supporting him through the housing application process and assisting him in applying to additional support organisations. Once David had successfully secured his own property, Kate helped him with applications for white goods, furniture, food and personal care items. All essential for David to make his next steps a success. Kate also made sure David was aware of food waste charities which are different from food banks and accessible to all for the longer term.

On the job front, with Kate's help, David navigated the process of application forms, references and DBS checks. Though he'd been offered a job, the process of the checks took time, particularly with his complicated background and limited work history, so David continued to apply for other work including customer service and retail roles as well as attending additional training so as not to put all his eggs in one basket. In the background, Kate explored every avenue available to secure David the references he needed.

David's patience paid off and he started his new job as a Support Worker job in July 2022, he's now living independently and his future looks bright! He also now has the confidence, knowledge, and ability to access support if he needs it in the future. Kate said, "David's approach towards overcoming problems is fantastic and this will most certainly serve him well in the future, it was a pleasure to help him on this bit of his journey."

David said "You have been a great help and support for me in my time of need and I would highly recommend you to others in the same situation"

David's employer Careline Lifestyles had this to add "Considering he has never worked in the health care sector before, David has picked things up really fast, he has hit the ground running and always keen to learn more. Has a caring nature and works well with all the service users. He is flexible and offers to pick up extra shifts."

Wishing David continued success - a big well done from us all at Employability Durham!

Jolanta came to us looking to take the next steps towards a positive future for her and her three boys. Having had a tough few years personally, Jolanta was keen to utilise her own life experiences in a positive way and wanted to be able to help others who might experience similar challenges to those she'd faced herself.

She already had the idea of working on a self-employed basis as a Life Coach and having previously run a successful cleaning company she was well aware of both the benefits and the pitfalls of self-employment. With the business planning handled by experts at CDC Enterprise Agency, Jolanta and her mentor Susan set about exploring what training would be beneficial to complement her lived experience and weighing up the various available options around Psychology and Occupational Therapy. They settled on a Psychology diploma certificate, allowing Jolanta to start slowly and progress with further qualifications at her own pace. Jolanta was able to complete this via distance learning online, allowing her the necessary flexibility a busy single mum of three needs, often meaning she was studying late at night whilst the children were sleeping, as the ongoing pandemic meant she was also home-schooling! 

Susan and Jolanta spent time discussing the marketing of her new business and the L!NKCD programme was able to provide some financial support with business cards and other promotional items. Susan also supported Jolanta's plans to incorporate her energetic multidimensional art, which complements her therapy work, into the business and ensured target dates for milestone achievements were met. The ongoing Covid lockdown meant it was a difficult journey for Jolanta, despite being immensely positive about her new venture. Susan was there every step of the way to provide encouragement and emotional support.

Jolanta's business name is Pure Advice and she is now trading as a Life Coach.

Tina from Ferryhill hadn't been in employment since 2012, as she'd had to prioritise the needs of her family. In summer 2021, Tina felt the time was right to take steps towards her own employment goals and contacted Employability Durham, as her partner has previously accessed support from our Durham Advance programme.

Tina was matched to the L!NKCD programme with Bryony Coulthard as her adviser. With initial ideas around working with people in a support type role, Tina and Bryony spent some time exploring the various roles and routes into competing for paid work in this sector. They worked closely together to modify and improve Tina's CV and identified relevant courses that would improve her knowledge and boost her confidence. 
Together, Bryony and Tina mapped out a plan to allow Tina to access online learning and the L!NKCD programme was able to provide funding for a refurbished laptop to ensure Tina could access learning remotely. In a very short space of time, Tina obtained a Level 3 qualification in Health and Social Care alongside a Level 2 qualification in Domestic Violence Awareness. 

Alongside committing to her own development and building her confidence, Tina worked with Bryony on job searching, applications and interview preparation. Bryony supported Tina through a mixture of phone, face to face and remote contact dependent on the varying Covid restrictions at the time!

Tina has just heard that she has secured an apprenticeship with Wellbeing for Life, where she will be one of their newly appointed Community Activator Apprentices. It's a dream role for Tina, as its focus is bettering the community and working alongside vulnerable individuals to improve their health and wellbeing.

Tina said, "Thank you for all of your help. I really couldn't have done this without you."

Marie had recently gone through some disappointment with self-employment. She had wanted to start up a sandwich van but it didn't work out due to planning permission other things out of her control. This was a tough time for Marie as she had put a lot of time and effort into making her idea work. This was a setback for Marie with her mental health and managing the disappointment she faced. When Marie started working with Sophie on the L!NKCD programme she was not feeling the best. 

Marie is a carer for her son, so she has to work any plans around caring for him. She had a new idea around working with vulnerable adults, offering group sessions such as craft and art.

With Sophie's help, Marie started to explore her ideas further and set some goals. This started with making sure Marie felt well enough to move forward and start to look at education and other arts and crafts to get her where she wanted to be. They agreed on a timescale for Marie to start some training which she was happy about as she was very keen to get started, planning ahead ensured it was realistic. 

In the meantime, ahead of starting formal training, Marie and Sophie worked on building her skills and portfolio of ideas to have a better idea of what she would like to offer in her group sessions in the future, as well as sourcing an online opportunity to gain an education certificate which will enable Marie to teach adults. Marie was very happy about this and thought it was the perfect fit around her busy life. 

In the coming months, with Sophie's help, Marie will also start looking at volunteering in some centres and helping in groups to build her skills, knowledge and confidence in a maintainable way. The L!NKCD programme means Sophie is available to help Marie when she needs it and also step back and let her achieve things in her own time. Marie is doing very well and is happy with the path she has chosen. She feels better in herself and that she is making positive moves towards her employment goals.

Marie said, "Thank you for all the help I've received, not only has the training helped for better job prospects. It's also helped with my mental health and self-esteem. Thanks for all of your support."

AA was a Syrian refugee who fled the war in Syria many years ago and moved to Ukraine where he settled. AA and his family then consequently fled the war in Ukraine in 2022 and were able to gain family visas and join extended family in Murton. AA's brother-in-law is married to an English lady and they were able to source accommodation for AA, his wife and their three children. 

AA was referred to Employability Durham by his work coach at Seaham Jobcentre and was matched to our Durham Advance programme. As a qualified Eye Surgeon and Optometrist in Ukraine, AA wanted to get back into this line of work. He spoke good conversational English, however it was not at a level that would be suitable to secure work within a medical or optical setting immediately.

AA's adviser, Jen, conducted research into what would be needed to register as an Optometrist and Eye Surgeon in the UK, in order to set realistic timescales and explore steps to achieve this goal. She identified that in order to register with the General Optical Council (GOC) and be able to compete for jobs in his field, AA would need to demonstrate a specific level of 'academic English' through completion of an IELTS (International English Language Testing System) course - he would need to score seven or higher in order to pass and be put forward for registration with the GOC. Jen sourced this rather niche course and AA was able to start working toward this very quickly.

This qualification would take time to prepare for and achieve so Jen also suggested that AA could gain some UK based work experience and practice his medical based language skills by volunteering in a hospital or optical setting.

With support from National Careers Service, Jen arranged for AA's qualifications to be compared and translated to show their UK equivalent. They could then plan how to work towards registering as an Eye Surgeon or Optometrist knowing the level of qualification he held as a starting point.

Employer links were explored, with support from a contact at DWP, AA was put forward for a role at Specsavers. He was invited to spend three days job shadowing before being offered a full-time contract as an Optical Assistant. 

Durham Advance was able to pay for AA's bus travel to work and IELTS classes, as well as support him with payment for the IELTs course.

When Wesley first met his adviser Michelle, he had been out of work for a couple of years and was extremely low in confidence.  He scored himself 1 on our confidence scale and said he had 'no skills'. They first met Covid lockdowns were ending and life was starting to return to normal.  Wesley was keen to meet face to face as this worked best for him.

Wesley and Michelle worked together to discuss his interests, goals and ideas and through meeting and action planning together, they developed a realistic plan to move forward. Practical tasks such as editing his CV and pro-active job search techniques were done together and Wesley picked up useful tips to then manage these himself.  Due to Covid lockdowns and being out of work, Wesley was quite socially isolated and was very keen to attend a course or group where he could meet others and learn new skills.  Wesley completed a Positive Man course with Durham County Council's  Durham Employment and Skills (DES) and then went on to complete a Level 2 Customer Service course with them also.  These courses really helped Wesley's confidence and self-belief and gave him the opportunity to realise that he had lots to offer an employer.  Lisa, the course tutor was so pleased with how Wesley had grown in confidence throughout the course and shared how great it was to see Wesley prepare and present a 10-minute presentation to the group at the end of the week. 

Job searching and attending interviews can be expensive, particularly during the period of rising petrol costs so we supported Wesley with reimbursing travel costs and some lunch.  This really helped budgeting within the home.  Wesley also benefitted from having a meeting with Paul, one of our Financial Ability officers who gave some advice and support on financial matters.

Wesley received interview technique advice and although he was not successful at his first, his confidence hugely improved, and he said he had a much better understanding of how to sell himself. Wesley got the job at the second interview he attended!

One of the benefits of Wesley attending a face-to-face course with DES was that he had the time to learn from others and their experiences and it helped him to reconsider the job opportunities he had nearby.  As a result, Wesley applied for a position with Amazon and has loved the feeling of being back in work again!

Along his journey with Employability Durham Wesley benefitted from:

• Tailored advice and guidance on job opportunities, job search techniques and courses
• Links to training providers with employer vacancies
• Flexible fund for lunch and travel
• Purchase of a laptop to access teams call and used for interview and training
• Financial Ability team advice and support
• Consistent adviser support and encouragement to raise confidence and motivation
• Advocacy with job centre re: ensuring referred to suitable employability support
• Referred to appropriate training to improve skills and qualifications
• Signposting to services such as Bread and Butter thing, welfare support

Wesley has started a job and is over the moon to be employed again! He hopes to improve his finances and own a car in the future which will improve his independence.

Lisa from DES said about Wesley's increase in confidence 'what a transformation - he was a joy to have in the class!'.

A Ukrainian teacher has thanked a service which helped her continue her dream job after leaving her home country.

Durham County Council's Employability Durham provided support to refugee Viktoriia Hordienko, who left Ukraine in February. 

Having worked as an English teacher for 31 years, Viktoriia came to County Durham through the Homes for Ukraine scheme, having to leave her husband and son behind.

She hoped to continue teaching once she was settled in her new area but was unsure of where to begin, until the council's Humanitarian Support Team put her in touch with Employability Durham, which provides career advice, information, and support to people aged 25 and over.

Viktoriia registered with the Durham Advance programme through Employability Durham, and was assigned to employment and development adviser Emma West, who purchased a laptop for Viktoriia so that she could continue communicating with her previous school in Ukraine.

Emma arranged for Viktoriia's qualifications to be translated into English so she could apply for teaching jobs in the UK, and helped boost her confidence by assuring her that her skills were relevant and she was capable of doing the roles.

Viktoriia was put in contact with an employment agency, where she secured job as an English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) tutor at New College Durham.
She said: "One early morning in February completely changed my life. Luckily, I had an opportunity to get to the UK, but I even couldn't imagine that in such a short period of time I would get all the necessary documents and what is more important to me - my job.

"I have been teaching English for 31 years and I could only dream about being a teacher in the country of the language I teach to my students. The greatest dream of my life has come true with the help of very kind and caring people, and I've got a job where I can continue doing my favourite work." 

Cllr Elizabeth Scott said: "We are delighted our Employability Durham team has been able to support Viktoriia settle in County Durham. After an unimaginable transition coming to the UK, I am pleased that through our service she has been able to stay in contact with her previous school and continue her career in teaching."

Teesdale Renewables Ltd provide traditional plumbing, gas and oil heating, and electrical services across North East England. They also specialise in renewable energy like Biomass, Solar, and Heat Pumps. The business is located in Eggleston near Middleton-in-Teesdale and was established in 2012 by Adam Bainbridge who grew up on the family farm where his business is now located. Over the past nine years since establishing the business with Adam Bainbridge initially working on his own and his mum, Anita Bainbridge's support on the administration side, the business has grown and now employs a team of 26 skilled engineers.

At the beginning of this year, there became a need to employ someone to support the business with ordering and storage of parts and equipment as well as maintenance work and delivering parts to sites. It's a vital role calling for someone with strong organisational and responsibility skills and someone who didn't mind working on their own for much of the time. The other challenge the Bainbridge's have is getting staff to the remote location of the business. It was a long shot that Company Secretary, Anita Bainbridge contacted Lynne Groves, from the council's Employability Durham team to see if the team could help them to fill the vacancy.

Anita said, "I had worked with Lynne in her previous role and had built up a really good relationship with her. I knew that it was a tall ask but I wanted that personal service of someone listening and understanding our needs and really trying to get us the right person for the job. I did not want to use a recruitment agency or on-line services. It sounded like the team offered a very bespoke service and I was happy to see what they could do."

The Employability Durham team rose to the challenge and found the ideal candidate in Robbie McFadden who had lost his job at the beginning of Covid lockdown 1 and had been struggling since then to find the right opportunity. Robbie had sought the help of Employability Durham and welcomed the additional support that his Employment and Development Adviser, Melanie Danks was able to offer him through the Durham Advance programme.

Robbie said, "It was particularly tough for me to find work with the Covid restrictions going on. I'd always worked, I had lots of experience of general maintenance, DIY and always prided myself on being able to tackle practical jobs. Although I was applying for jobs on-line, I'd often not hear anything. Melanie from Durham Advance helped me to review my CV but most of all they had faith in me. They matched me with the job at Teesdale Renewables and this is absolutely the best job I have had. I have a 30 minute journey across the moor roads which has been challenging in the snowy and icy conditions we have had since I started in early February but it's so worthwhile to be working somewhere where I feel valued and part of a team. Employability Durham not only found me the right job but they were able to fund me some workwear so that I felt confident and looked the part on my first day at work. It really made a difference and they also helped me with my fuel costs. I can't thank Melanie and Lynne enough for believing in me; starting work again has made such a difference."

Adam Bainbridge added, "Robbie has slotted straight into the role; he has lots of experience and already has made such a difference to how we are operating. He's enthusiastic and really is a perfect match. We certainly recommend the Employability Durham team to any business that is looking to recruit local employees.

Stormking Windows Ltd of South Church, Bishop Auckland manufacture and install UPVC windows and doors. Established for nearly thirty years with a workforce of fifteen, some of whom have been with the company from the beginning. 

During the pandemic, with more people looking to spend their savings on home improvements the company found that they needed to expand their workforce. Finding the right person is always a challenge for a small business but Durham County Council's Employability Durham team was recommended to John Dunn, the company's General Manager. Lynne Groves, one of the Employment and Development Advisers with Employability Durham, worked with John to match the company's needs to the unemployed clients they support. Lynne found the perfect match with Rob Lewis who was looking to get back into work and had sought the help and support of the team and his adviser, Claire.

John said, "The service from Employability Durham has been excellent and professional. They were quick to respond to our needs and gain a full understanding of what we needed. Rob had so much experience of working in similar environments, he really has hit the ground running and has settled into the role so well and has become a vital part of our team in such a short time. I will definitely use the council's service again and encourage other small businesses to do so". 

Rob thanked Employability Durham and said, "I was surprised at the amount of help that you do give. Thanks to Claire who gave me that little push I needed to gain a little more confidence and go grab a job. Stormking Windows and employees have made me welcome and helped me to settle in quickly". Rob has moved to working five days now from the original three and is enjoying the variety of jobs he has been able to do.

Terry had had a full career in joinery, working on a wide range of joinery tasks including new builds, maintenance and repair as well as renovation work. Despite a lifetime's experience and expertise Terry was unable to get a Blue 'tradesmans' CSCS card, which many employers now require, as he did not have a level NVQ 2 qualification in his trade. This was making life difficult for Terry, eventually leading to him making a claim for Universal Credit at Jobcentre Plus and being referred to Employability Durham for help.

Terry was matched to the Durham Advance programme, which specialises in supporting those over 50, with Steve Martin as his Employment and Development Adviser.

Working together Terry and Steve looked at the opportunity for a change in career direction as he was unable to obtain blue CSCS card without lengthy training in a skill he was already expert in! Steve helped Terry to identify transferable skills and explore potential routes into employment in caretaker, maintenance and hands on roles - this being the obvious choice to maximise Terry's expertise. 

Terry and Steve agreed on a CV refresh to highlight Terry's skills to suit these roles and Steve ensured Terry had accounts with the new CV active on all the major Jobsearch websites. They also identified the opportunity to use the time whilst out of work to gain an English qualification and a referral to the council's Durham Learn (formerly Adult Learning and Skills Service) was made. In addition, Steve recognised the need to bolster chances of Terry's job success with updating relevant trade certification including Manual Handling and ladder and water treatment courses all which could be completed online in Terry's own timeframe. 

Steve maintained regular contact with Terry, sharing employment links, training resources and encouragement. Terry felt his age was a hindrance and many of the jobs he was interested in were very competitive, Steve helped to provide motivation and belief that he would be successful especially when pipped at the post. 

Working on the qualification also provided a boost which Terry was over the moon to achieve, he sent a message to Steve; "Just had to let you know that I have passed my English exam and I am delighted with the results 89% for the first part and 80% for the second! I don't think you realise how important this is to me."

With continued determination and Steve by his side each step of the way Terry secured a maintenance role in a Gateshead care home. Steve's final bit of input was to meet Terry to purchase some essential tools to set him off well in his new job, here they are pictured together at Screwfix!

Terry gave us this feedback, "Thank you for all the help, advice and support, that you have given me in my search for employment, which has resulted in me finding a great position as maintenance person for a care home in Gateshead, without your help I think I would have really struggled. I will keep in touch and let you know how it goes from time to time. Once again thank you."

Steve said this, "On a personal note, as an Adviser with the Employability Durham team it has always been a pleasure to support Terry as I have rarely seen anyone show such, commitment, enthusiasm, belief and motivation and determination of reaching the goal of being back in work and I am sure he will prove to be a great asset to his employer."

Ihor, his wife and 10 year old daughter fled Ukraine following the outbreak of war and settled in Easington Colliery, County Durham. Ihor could not speak English and his wife was only able to speak a little, so they were both keen to attend an English for Speakers of Other Languages course (ESOL training). So, a request to support for Ihor and his family was received from our Humanitarian team in March 2023.

Ihor was a highly skilled and qualified electrical engineer in Ukraine, but was unable to gain work in this field in the UK as his certification was not compatible with UK regulations and legislation. Until Ihor's level of English was sufficient, he was not able to study or find employment in this field.

Steve Martin from Employability Durham met with Ihor and after discussing what Employability Durham could do for him, Ihor registered for Durham Advance. Steve supported Ihor to build a CV and get it uploaded to several job search websites.

It did not take long for Ihor to get an interview for a Production Worker role in Seaham. Steve was able to utilise a fund which is available to the team, to get Ihor some basic interview clothing prior to the interview and helped him to prepare. But following the interview, Ihor was not offered a position.

Undeterred, Steve continued to support Ihor in applying for further job vacancies. An opportunity as a Production Operative at Rainton Meadows became available. But with Ihor having to travel by bus to this location, the bus service could not provide him with the times he would need to get to and from work in a timely manner, so he was unable to take up the offer of employment.

After a further job search, they found an ideal role as a Production Operative at Bristol Street Laboratories in Peterlee. Following an application process and a successful interview, Ihor was offered the job.

Ihor started at Bristol Street laboratories Peterlee in late July 2023. However, with a 5.45am start, Ihor had to walk to work. To ensure Ihor could get to work safely and punctually, Steve contacted the Wheels2Work scheme and was successful in securing a bike for Ihor.

Liam Weatherill of Wheels2Work County Durham said: "Wheels2Work County Durham are delighted to be able to support Ihor and Employability Durham in ensuring he can get to and from work both safely and punctually. Through funding from the County Durham Community Foundation Household Support Fund, we can offer new bicycles, plus accessories, to County Durham residents that find a lack of personal transport creates a barrier to accessing their place of employment. We look forward to people who think they would benefit from this visiting our website and applying to our Recycle2Work scheme."

Steve comments: "An outstanding result from a very highly motivated man speaking almost no English. The icing on the cake is that Ihor's wife Karina, also supported by Employability Durham, was offered two jobs shortly after Ihor's success! We wish the family all the best with their future here in County Durham."

Ihor said: "The only thing we want to add is to thank you again for your great help and support to us, for your great work that you do helping us, it is very much appreciated by us. We only wish you success and prosperity".