News
Sharon Received Health and Employability Support
Referring Sharon for Health Support.
Sharon was originally referred to CEIS Ayrshire at the end of 2018. She was struggling with low mood, anxiety and back pain. In conjunction with the employability support, we referred Sharon to Salus for health support.
Irvine Job Centre had arranged an information session with Bonmarche. Which Sharon attended and she was successful with a follow up interview. She started here as a Sales Assistant and continued with the Salus support to help sustain her new employment. Unfortunately, Sharon was made redundant in March 2020 due to Covid.
Sharon was re-referred to CEIS Ayrshire in April 2021. Her mental health had taken a dip due to being made redundant and she was referred to Salus a second time for support. We referred Sharon to our Zoom Confidence workshop. She went on to complete a Classroom Assistant Sector Based Workshop Academy Programme (SWAP). She completed 7 accredited courses.
By June 2021 Sharon was working hard at implementing recommendations from Salus. These included goal setting and adopting strategies to help improve her health and wellbeing. During the summer months Sharon felt her mental health had taken a downturn.
Joining Positive Steps
During a face-to-face meeting we agreed that a referral to The Ayrshire Community Trust (TACT) for the Positive Steps course would be beneficial for Sharon to support her confidence. Sharon went on to attend a few Zoom workshops with TACT including Getting to Know You and Comfort Zones. She also took part in an Anxiety workshop with Penumbra as well as on-line Yoga classes. Through TACT, Sharon attended Cooking on a Budget Zoom classes and went on to deliver a Zoom Baking class.
From September 21 to March 22 Sharon continued to receive support from CEIS Ayrshire and TACT. She completed an Admin SWAP. Achieving another 9 accredited qualifications including Cyber Security and Time Management. She applied for a few positions within this time but unfortunately was unsuccessful.
Sharon was volunteering at Eglinton Community Gardens and felt her confidence had grown greatly. We assisted Sharon in compiling a new CV. In April she applied for a Long-Term Unemployed Skills for Life position with Kilwinning Sports Club as an Admin Assistant.
Sharon was successful in this process and started the 6-month placement. In October this year Sharon completed the placement and was delighted to be offered a 12-month rolling contract with a guaranteed 20-hour average working week with Kilwinning Sports Club.
Comments from Sharon
“I’ve had an amazing time here and the staff have been so supportive and helpful over the 6 months I have had the pleasure in spending here, I am so grateful to you for supporting me through the months before I gained this placement. You really don’t know how much I appreciated it, I have settled in here and really feel like one of the team/family. I’m gaining my confidence back and although I still have the odd moment of self-doubt, the guys here are so supportive, I am taking on some additional duties for groups held in the club and joining in with some of the activities. I am now going to be training to assist with grant applications and looking into how to increase the footfall in the club through non-sports activities. I am really looking forward to these new challenges coming in my future with the club”.
“Again, I have got to thank you for all the support and assistance. Without it, I wouldn’t have thought to apply for the position”.