Before I walked through the doors at JobsPlus, I felt stuck. I hadn’t worked in months, and every job application felt like another reminder that I wasn’t good enough.
My confidence had taken a toll from previous experiences of continually applying and never hearing back.
I felt lost. I didn’t know where to begin when looking for work. I felt I needed more support. 
Then JobsPlus came into the picture. I had a leaflet posted through my door, the promise of a chat and a warm cup of coffee was all I needed to hear.
As soon as I visited, I was greeted by my warm and friendly work coach. The atmosphere at JobsPlus was markedly different from other services I had tried. The Jobcentre was always cold and unwelcoming. JobsPlus was different. The staff were friendly, warm and welcoming. The day-to-day impact of relational support I received from JobsPlus was unmatched from anything I had experienced. JobsPlus had a holistic, person-centred approach. The coaches always had time to talk to me. They always listened. They always understood, and helped me feel understood.
They help build your employability confidence by going through job applications and working on your CV together. There were also wellbeing sessions with trained practitioners. The coaches always listened, smiled and helped. Each session was always tailored for you through the kind words listening ears of the coaches and their help in tailoring your support. Whenever I had an issue or concern, the coaches always listened and helped me break things down into smaller, manageable steps. Most importantly, they helped lead me into my role as a Community Champion.
Community Champions are people from the area who have a vested interest in helping people within the neighbourhood. As someone who has always had an interest in helping people, this was right up my street. My work coach helped guide me into the process of becoming a Community Champion. This was through the help of all the work we had already done. In terms of removing barriers, the person-centred approach, from a more holistic, caring perspective helped.
Lots of things changed thanks to this support. I saw a marked improvement in my wellbeing, and was able to transfer this knowledge into my role as a Community Champion.
The hyper-local, community-focused approach of being a Community Champion means I was able to transfer my own lived-experience into the collaborative and cooperative work I did with participants.
“ [it is] hard it is for young people applying for jobs, as you will go on Indeed and
apply for two hundred plus jobs and get three call backs….so the outreach [had helped]” - Jack, 22.
This feedback echoed many of the sentiments felt by fellow service users and Community Champions.
For example, as part of our work on engagement, one of my key roles as a Community Champion was working on social media and helping facilitate the events.
One of the major turning points was the fantastic turnout for our Blue Saint event. In November, local influencer Blue Saint joined us to talk about art and creativity. The main focus of the event was how creative vices in art can be translated into transferable skills in the workplace. The feedback spoke for itself:
“The Blue Saint event was really cool – it is good to get skills that involve poetry and
creativity”- Tom, 24.
“I’ve enjoyed today’s event, it has been very insightful and it has been nice
connecting with new people” – Jasmine, 25.
Feedback from these events was encouraging. Participants felt heard and realised they could succeed. After the event all participants felt as though they were now ready to take the next steps to look for work.
This was familiar to my own experiences of working with JobsPlus and how much my confidence has been boosted since doing this work.
I have felt significantly more hopeful since coming here. The skills I have learned from JobsPlus have been invaluable. I feel more optimistic now when it comes to looking for work. I feel more connected to the community. I have learned new skills. I have gained bigger and better opportunities. I can now approach new tasks with a better understanding of how to reconnect with work and people in the community.
JobsPlus didn’t just help me find work, but it helped me find myself again. I would recommend the Community Champions and work coaches to anyone in the area looking for work and looking to reconnect with the community.
I feel more hopeful since engaging with the service and that I have the tools and resources to improve my situation. I have changed for the better since joining. My confidence has grown and my hopes have been lifted.
If you would like to get involved with JobsPlus, feel free to register by contacting the hub on 07728288007, or popping in to 3 Kelvin Grove, L8 3UE.