Not that long ago, 27 year old Laura from Milngavie, would have described herself as someone lacking in confidence, someone with very low self-esteem and someone who was battling with long term depression and anxiety.
Couple this with a hearing impairment in both ears, she was beginning to feel that she would never be able to overcome these barriers and find herself a job.
Then, in April 2018, Laura’s adviser at Job Centre Plus in Springburn told her about a brand new service in the area called Fair Start Scotland.
Fair Start, the Scottish Government’s flagship employment support service, launched in April 2018 with the aim of helping 38,000 people across Scotland move closer to work, offering one to one support, training and upskilling.
Led in the West of Scotland by the Wise Group, and a network of partners including Kirkintilloch based The Lennox Partnership whom Laura was paired with.
During her time with The Lennox Partnership, Laura and her coach Lynne Dempsey, worked together to develop and improve on her confidence and self-esteem, well in advance of dealing with anything to do with looking for a job. Laura engaged with weekly walking and gardening programmes, meeting new people and making friends whilst learning new skills and working on her mental health.
Fast forward to August 2019, and Laura is about to celebrate her 1st work-anniversary having landed herself a full time Customer Service Advisor role.
Of her time on the service, Laura said; “Before getting involved with Fair Start, I had kind of given up on ever really finding a job. Lynne and the team gave me the confidence to go for a job that I never thought I would be able to do. Almost 12 months into the job and I absolutely love it. Yes, it’s stressful at times, but what job isn’t? And I’ve even met my partner at work, so that’s an added extra!”
If you are looking for work, and like Laura, would like additional support to achieve your goal, get in touch with our Fair Start team by calling 0300 303 3381 or emailing fairstart@thewisegroup.co.uk