Jamie’s story: Turning my life around
For most of his early years, Jamie’s life had been a struggle. He has Asperger’s and ADHD, he had gained limited qualifications and, seeking an outlet, he was charged with criminal damage.
However, Jamie has since been supported to find another more fulfilling focus – a mechanics work placement.
Our Empower project supports ex-offenders, or those on the cusp of offending, to gain employment. In a short space of time, Jamie had achieved the following:
- Completing a CV and applying for apprenticeships
- Increasing his skills by completing courses such as volunteer health & safety
- Being awarded a tablet device to enhance his digital capabilities
- Volunteering on the bike project
- Receiving his Level 1 Maths qualification (he has almost completed Level 2)
- Creating a Home Choice Lincs application to find his own home and gain independence
Soon afterwards, he was successful in gaining the Kickstart employment opportunity at a garage.
He said: “I’d applied for a few different roles before but, rather than allowing my head to drop and seeing them as setbacks, I used it as an opportunity to continue bettering myself.
“I love what I do now. I was so happy when I found out I’d been successful for the role – it’s in an ideal location and everybody there is really nice.
“I’m very grateful for the support I received. It helped me with so much, gave me skills I never thought I could have and it’s got me to where I want to be in life.
“This support allowed me a second chance – an opportunity to move on from the past and create a better future for myself.”
Take a look here at the range of support that we can offer you.