After speaking to an Adviser at Careers Wales, E was referred to the Working Denbighshire project for 1-1 advice with further employment opportunities that supported her progression with her mental health. E suffered with depression and was finding it hard to get out of bed some days. She had sought help from professional organisations but did not pursue them long enough to see an improvement. As her Youth Mentor, we took the first few appointments slowly and once she felt comfortable we were able to start to target specific areas and worked together to improve her skillset. E’s confidence was growing with each session and she eventually secured herself a position in an unpaid role at the local library through Working Denbighshire’s Work Start Scheme.
E had experience in hospitality which she enjoyed, but once she left her mental health started to deteriorate. Previously, E had been working with CAMHS but after attending a couple of sessions she felt that they were not very helpful for her so she stopped attending. After having a conversation with E about her mental health, she explained that she had created coping mechanisms for her feelings on her own such as going for a walk or reading a book which has helped her out of some low points and has been working for her so far. We talked about her motivation to start work and her interests but E was finding it difficult to find anything that jumped out at her or that she felt matched up to what she could offer.
At our first meeting together it was clear how anxious and nervous she was about the meeting. She felt overwhelmed meeting me for the first time and was unsure of what to expect. Once we sat down and introduced ourselves to each other and started to talk, she started to relax and feel more at ease. E was motivated to find work but at the same time her anxiety would hold her back from opportunities as she felt she wasn’t up to the expected standard from the job adverts. E had previously worked in a busy café on the sea front, she said it was tough but enjoyed it, however felt she didn’t get support from her manager. We went into more detail and discussed what it is that she would like to do. E’s passions were books and coffee, so we thought a career in either of these areas would be something she would really enjoy.
One of the first things we did together was look at her CV. E explained that she didn’t have an awful lot to go on her CV and was worried about doing it and making it stand out. We spent a couple of sessions together getting the CV up to date, making it look professional and something she could be proud of. E was over the moon with the result and surprised at how many skills she had developed over the past few years! It was the confidence boost that she needed to believe in herself and reminded her that she had the abilities for lots of different jobs.
E started looking at opportunities in hospitality again, specifically within a café setting as this was where she felt most comfortable. We kept our eye out for jobs at libraries or book shops however these were difficult to find. We also looked at any training that would help E move closer to work and found a course for Key Skills in the Tourism Industry, but when we looked into this in more detail E did not feel comfortable in getting there with difficult travel journeys involved.
In a short amount of time, E progressed a long way from our first appointment, she was confidently applying for jobs and was not disheartened when she did not move forward in the application process. Sadly, E had a medical emergency which meant that she disengaged from the project for a little while whilst she got stronger and took care of herself. After a short break, E contacted me again and was in a better place to continue her support into work. An opportunity had come up through the Work Start Scheme at the local library as a Library Assistant. It was an unpaid role for 2 days a week, I mentioned it to E who was extremely enthusiastic about the opportunity, we both believed it would be a good first step into work and to build on her experience even more. E flew through the application and interview process for this position, her enthusiasm about books and reading meant she rose to the top of the applications and she was successful!
E started her position at the library soon after, she had support from myself and also the Work Start Scheme’s Placement Support Officer to ensure the placement would run smoothly. The opportunity was initially for 3 months, E was thoroughly enjoying it and was working in all aspects of the library. She was getting trained up with the electronic system, assisting customers and organising the books on the shelves. E was building on her skills and she was determined to try and find a long term position within a library as she loved it so much.
Unfortunately, Covid19 brought E’s placement to an early finish as the library had to shut. She was upset about not being able to carry on and complete the placement and hoped we would be able to continue it at some point in the future.
Since working with the Working Denbighshire project, E has much more confidence in herself and is much more willing to take on new things, something that she really struggled with previously. Even though her placement came to a halt, she remains motivated and continues to apply for positions and training opportunities, as well participating in our online sessions, developing her Welsh language skills and even setting herself new challenges and goals. E has now moved into a new home and has been accessing other services such as the Women’s Centre to help her manage her mental health, and has also been thinking about other avenues such as college courses in the coming months. E is making really good progress on the project and is an excellent example of how much projects like these can help individuals make steps to move forward.