“My work coach, Jim, took the time to get to know both me and my sister we started to find jobs that I could apply for.”
53-year-old James McKay was a well-loved staff member at Cameron House on Loch Lomond for 14 years. After the devastating fire, however, James lost his job, almost a year ago now.
James has learning difficulties and finds it difficult to read or write, and was struggling to find a new job after the fire.
“I really enjoyed working at Cameron House, I knew everyone in the team and they knew me.
I had been looking for work since the fire, but found it hard to get my foot in the door.”
That’s when James approached our Fair Start Scotland team.
At his first Fair Start meeting, James was immaculately dressed and arrived early with a huge smile on his face. His previous manager from Cameron House came with him for support following the fire. James was matched with his work coach Jim, who’s based at The Lennox Partnership, one of our Fair Start Scotland partners.
James is very close wit his sister, who helps him with everyday tasks like paying bills and filling out forms. For this reason, it was hugely important that James’ work coach built not only a solid relationship with James, but also with his sister.
“My work coach, Jim, took the time to get to know both me and my sister and together we started to find jobs that I could apply for,” said James.
Jim went the extra mile for James, approaching local employers himself to help James find his ideal job – including a local hotel in Dumbarton. Within an hour of looking at his CV, the owners at the hotel invited James in for an interview.
His friendly nature, years of experience and positive attitude earned him a trial in the kitchen – a week later, he was offered a job.
Three months later, James is feeling like part of the family, turning his hand to all sorts of tasks, and adding to his skill set every day.
