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 in
April 2008. 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.