The Changing Futures project supports people facing multiple barriers to employment. Our transformational coaches work with participants to understand their abilities, skills, and interests to identify ways to address any challenges.
Rebecca’s Story
Rebecca (20) referred herself to Changing Futures after seeing an advert on our website. Having gained good qualifications at school and college, Rebecca was holding down an apprenticeship in Chartered Management at Lancashire University. However, the company Rebecca was placed with was forced to close during the pandemic. As a result, Rebecca was made redundant, and her apprenticeship was put at risk.
The redundancy hit Rebecca hard, pushing her resilience and mental health to the limit. With time on her hands, Rebecca began revisiting difficulties she had faced at school and some of the underlying anxieties from that time began to resurface. Seeing only failure in her future, Rebecca was also considering giving up on her apprenticeship and looking for a job.
When transformational coach Sam first met Rebecca, she was in a blind panic about her future. Despite this, Sam could instantly tell Rebecca was keen to succeed.
Initially, Sam wanted to focus on Rebecca’s motivation, resilience, and emotional intelligence to help Rebecca rediscover her self-belief and determination. Sam referred Rebecca to Child Action Northwest for support around her underlying anxieties. Alongside this, Rebecca also attended an emotional intelligence course at Calico. Sam hoped that this support would give Rebecca the tools needed to cope more effectively the next time life didn’t quite go to plan.
Following this, Sam worked with Rebecca to approach suitable companies to request a new placement. Rebecca created a spreadsheet of potential companies and began sending letters. With the pandemic still affecting local workplaces, arranging a new placement was tough but eventually, Rebecca received a positive response!
With an interview secured, Sam guided Rebecca through interview techniques and presentation tips. Thanks to the support received and Rebecca’s clear passion, she was able to find a new company to support her.
In her own words
“The Changing Futures project was extremely helpful in boosting confidence and motivation in my journey to gaining a new job. Samantha worked closely with me to identify any weaknesses in my approach to job seeking and gave me clear areas to focus on to strengthen my approach. It was helpful to gain advice from someone with a neutral perspective of my situation, who could assist in guiding me in the right direction and altering my outlook on the situation, from an almost negative outlook to a positive one.
I am able to identify changes within myself and my attitudes towards my situation and now have the right guidance to drive me to my current level of ambition and motivation. I would encourage anyone to embark on this project to assist them in adjusting to their situation and to succeed in exceeding their own personal goals. “
