New job is ‘final piece of the jigsaw’ for Daniel

It took a lot for Brighton man Daniel to ask for help. But having taken the plunge, his run of bad luck came to an end and has started to turn his life around following support from our experts.

Why Daniel joined the Restart Scheme

Daniel, 44, was referred to the Restart Scheme by his Jobcentre Plus Work Coach. Although he has a high standard of education, a good work history and is well-motivated, Daniel found himself out of work for many years due to personal reasons. He was previously a hospitality manager, but a turn of bad luck meant he lost his home and became homeless for six years.

He said: “Being quite a proud man, it took a lot for me to ask for help. As you can imagine there were a number of barriers I had to overcome – the stigma of having been homeless and the unconscious bias of potential employers, the personal confidence having been out of employment for so long, as well as the practical support to modernise my approach to job searching.”

How Fedcap helped

Daniel was partnered with Employment Adviser, Kyle who he met with every two weeks. They immediately got to work on addressing his confidence issues through positively reinforcing his past employment achievements. They also worked on improving his CV and started to look at tailored job searching.

And looking at improving his skills set, Daniel took part in a number of courses to help him identify his strengths better as well as to improve the way he communicates to potential employers. He also engaged with our online Fedcap Hub, which is full of resources to help people look for work.

He said: “The courses run by my tutor Leigh were invaluable. They are informative, collaborative and Leigh is probably one of the best motivators I have met,” while adding “knowing there is wellbeing support available has also been reassuring, both considering my lived experience but also in case I had received multiple knockbacks from employers.”

Getting the job

Having gone through some tough times himself, Daniel is now helping other people who may find themselves in similar situations. He is now an Apprentice Assessment and Reconnection Officer at St Mungo’s – moving into a sector he really wanted to work in.

He said: “Having left rough sleeping to having my own house again to fitting the final piece of the jigsaw of rebuilding my life by returning to work, all in one year, feels amazing. Fedcap and the Restart Scheme have been integral in allowing me to fulfil my potential and get to this point.

“I would not have achieved what I have as quickly without participating in this programme. The coaches have been knowledgeable, supporting, empathetic, flexible and centred on me as a person not just getting me into a job.”