Pathways to Work Customer Clive Gill is so pleased with his new job with West Midlands Ambulance Service that he routinely commutes 37 miles each way every day without a grumble.

Clive had been unemployed for almost 16 years and had completed an incredible 173 job applications in total before securing this offer of employment as a call centre operative.

A model participant on the Pathways to Work programme, Clive voluntarily joined the programme with Seetec.  Clive’s main barrier to gaining employment was his health; he had to contend with the implications of Spina Bifida and also had to have his right leg amputated below the knee.

From his first visit at Seetec’s Dudley employment and training centre, Clive displayed a dogged determination to find a job and set a very high bar for his fellow attendees.  He attended the Job search facility at least 3 times each week and gradually developed the tools that he needed to provide him with the best possible chance of progressing into work.

Compiling his CV with the support and assistance of his employment consultant, and further tuition, guidance and support, Clive continued to improve and refine his job search skills and enhance his self esteem.

Following disappointment after disappointment both Seetec Employment Consultants Wendy and David, spent a great deal of time and effort in maintaining Clive’s level of motivation, assisting him with interview preparation, application improvements, boosting his confidence and supplying in work benefit information.

Clive is thoroughly enjoying both the financial and personal benefits that working has brought about saying “I had been trying on and off for years to get a job and thought it would never happen for me.  With the help of David and Wendy and my own determination to succeed, I got my feet back on the ladder.  Being back at work has made me more confident and I feel a lot better about myself”.

If you would like to find out more about Pathways to Work in the Black Country, please click here.