Working Gateshead success stories

We have helped over 25,000 Gateshead residents move closer to or into work by providing employment support across the borough - read some of our success stories and testimonials below.

J's Story

J was referred to Working Gateshead after recently becoming unemployed due to a change in her personal circumstances.

J started attending regular appointments with her coach and got started with a three week employability course which she thoroughly enjoyed. The course built her confidence and motivation to once again flourish, and had enhanced her team building/social networking skills which was a big priority.

J received one to one coaching and support to develop her CV, boost her interview skills, create online job profiles and complete application forms to help her stand out to employers.

As the weeks progressed, so did J. Her motivation, confidence and belief in herself grew enabling her to search for work independently and speak directly to employers. This is something J never thought she could do again after being out of work for so long.

Working with her coach with a smile on her face J now feels "I can see the light at the end of the tunnel."

R's Story

The breakthrough R was looking for came when his Jobcentre Plus work coach referred him to Working Gateshead. 

During R's first initial appointment, his coach helped him access a wide range of practical hands on support. This included career advice and skills development. During the appointment his coach got in touch with local apprenticeship providers, including the Council's LearningSkills. Within 10 days R had attended an apprenticeship information session with LearningSkills, discussed an ICT apprenticeship, had his details sent to the employer and was offered an interview straight away.

Following this fantastic news, R contacted his coach who immediately organised a practice interview, set up a travel plan to get there and worked with R to research the business.

R felt confident and positive on the day of the interview and with the belief he was the right person for the job, performed well.  The employer was impressed, he was offered the role on the same day.

After he started work R said: "my feet never touched the ground since I began receiving support from Working Gateshead."

A's Story

A was referred to Working Gateshead for support to find work whilst he was learning English. Having arrived in the UK three years ago, he had worked hard to improve his comprehension and spoken English enough to feel ready to progress into employment within the UK. The support offered would allow A to become a more competitive job seeker.

First priority was to update A's CV  to be suitable for UK employers and this was done straight away with help from his coach. Over a period of time A continued to receive advice and guidance covering a variety of skills such as interview techniques, job preparation, job search and online application support.

When A confirmed that he felt confident enough to speak directly to employers, his coach accompanied him to visit several local recruitment agencies, where he shared his CV.

Within a week, A contacted his coach to say a recruitment agency had been in touch to offer him an interview with a local employer. A's coach helped him prepare and understand what might be expected during his interview. A attended the interview and was offered a two-day work trial. A completed the trial successfully and moved into full time employment

N's Story

N was referred to Working Gateshead by another organisation he was receiving support from. He found it difficult to maintain any kind of relationship due to his personal circumstances and his health condition, which made him anxious and nervous socialising.

Prior to being referred, N had been directed to various training courses but struggled to keep them up without intensive guidance. He also found it difficult to participate in group work and talk to other people.

A coach organised to meet N at a place he felt safe where the surroundings were familiar. They talked about the different support available to help N back to work and also identified N needed support with his current accommodation arrangements too.

The coach worked closely with N and  the other organisations providing support, helping him develop long term coping strategies to deal with his day to day struggles whilst still trying to keep N motivated about seeking employment which presented as a difficult task due to him having no qualifications or work experience.

Over time N built a good working relationship with his coach and wider support team. One day he informed his coach that a friend had found him a one week work trial with a local painting and decorating firm.  Arrangements were made by the coach to help N access financial support to enable him to start the work trial.

After successfully completing the work trial N was offered full time employment and secured his own flat.