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Case Studies & Press
Case Studies
Good Health!
J was referred to CSV by Training for Tomorrow for extra support with her
job hunting skills. She’d had many years care experience but following a
car accident her self confidence had taken a knock. J found that although
she saw a lot of care jobs in the paper she was unsure how to fill in
application forms, write letters & CV’s. She was also nervous about
attending interviews.
During her 13 weeks at CSV she did an IAG project on care work, practiced
her form filling and letter writing and other job search skills. Her
progress was reviewed with a tutor every week and in addition J worked on
her English, Maths and ICT skills. J was very sociable and made good
friends on the course and with her new found skills started to apply for
jobs again.
She had a mock interview with Deb. She then went for a real job interview
and got the job. J now works as a Support Worker and is undertaking on the
job training.
Back to work
T wanted to return to work after a 5year career break to bring up her son.
She wanted to register with an agency but they all wanted CV’s. Deb & T
worked on producing an up to date CV and then T took it to agencies. Deb
also worked with T’s New Deal Advisor to ensure she got working family tax
credits when she found work. She got a job in an insurance office and
within 2 months the firm were so impressed with her they offered her a
part-time job which enabled her to still take her son to school and pick
him up.
Oh I do like to be beside the seaside:
M moved to Weston from Spain 2 years ago. She had been taking ESOL courses
and her English had improved. When she first came to the UK she could only
find jobs cleaning, but she wanted something more rewarding where she
could practice her English skills by talking to people. M met Debbie at
Weston library and brought in her CV. It needed a lot of work done on it
as she had used some words that just did not seem right. Debbie arranged
to do another CV for Maria, and made an appointment to see her again. Once
the CV was done, M thought that she would like to find a part-time job in
a shop. This would give her enough time to continue to do her ESOL classes
2 afternoons a week. Debbie & M met for a third time and worked on a spec
mail shot to shops in Weston. She is now working in a shop and is
continuing with her college course.
“Deb helped me to find voluntary work and a college course. The charity I
volunteered for have now offered me a paid job. I always thought
volunteering was a waste of time. But it was one of the best things I have
ever done. My college course has been good too, I have done first aid and
a basic food hygiene certificate. I thought I was too old to learn, but
now I have the learning bug I plan to keep on taking courses”.
It’s never too late
J was mortified when she learnt that her son and grandchildren were
emigrating to New Zealand. She wanted to keep in touch, and to do this she
felt she may need to learn how to e-mail. She came along to see Deb at
Weston College @ Clevedon and we talked about her requirements. She then
booked an IT assessment and started to attend Learn Direct sessions at the
college. The tutor picked up on the fact she was struggling with the self
directed study. This was mainly due to dyslexia and the fact that J had
not been in learning for over 50 years. She is now getting 1-2-1 support,
and is also developing her English & Maths skills whilst at the college. J
now sends e-mails to her family and most importantly of all she can see up
to date pictures of her grandchildren at the click of a mouse. And
all of this at the tender age of 71 !
Feedback from Past Clients
“Deb, thanks for being so friendly and helpful. It has been very useful to
get information and advice on my career options. The encouragement you
have given me has made me feel I now have the courage to go back to
college for the first time in 20 years!”
“Thank you for helping me to look into what jobs would suit me. I am now
doing a job that I would have never thought was possible before. As a
Support Worker I get to much pleasure from helping others, that I can see
why you love your job so much”.
“Thank you for listening to me and for setting me targets to work towards.
The idea of changing jobs in my 40’s seemed like too big a task to take on
until you broke it down for me. I now have a CV, know about how to become
an admin assistant, I have a list of employers to contact and I have my
first interview for 2 years. I would have been nervous about this, but now
I know that I can achieve anything I want if I put my mind to it”.
When I got out of prison I did not think
anyone could give me a job. Deb helped me to contact employers. I got a
job in a hotel and they have given me training. I hope to finish my NVQ
Level 2 in Hospitality next year. This will be my first qualification. I
have never been happier and will never go back to prison again, because I
feel I have something to offer at last”.
“Thanks to CSV I can now use a computer and I know what I want to do for a
living for the first time in my life”.
“Deb helped me to find voluntary work and a college course. The charity I
volunteered for have now offered me a paid job. I always thought
volunteering was a waste of time. But it was one of the best things I have
ever done. My college course has been good too, I have done first aid and
a basic food hygiene certificate. I thought I was too old to learn, but
now I have the learning bug I plan to keep on taking courses”.
Feedback from IAG outreach clients:
“Thank you for typing up
my CV and for showing me how to write letters. I now feel that I am ready
to go back to work”.
“Deb, thanks for being so
friendly and helpful. It has been very useful to get information and
advice on my career options. The encouragement you have given me has made
me feel I now have the courage to go back to college for the first time in
20 years!”
“Thank you for helping me
to look into what jobs would suit me. I am now doing a job that I would
have never thought was possible before. As a Support Worker I get to much
pleasure from helping others, that I can see why you love your job so
much”.
“Thank you for listening to
me and for setting me targets to work towards. The idea of changing jobs
in my 40’s seemed like too big a task to take on until you broke it down
for me. I now have a CV, know about how to become an admin assistant, I
have a list of employers to contact and I have my first interview for 2
years. I would have been nervous about this, but now I know that I can
achieve anything I want if I put my mind to it”.
“I wish I had known about
his type of service years ago. I think everyone should see a Careers
Advisor if they need to, because they help dreams become realities”.
“I had 2 mock interviews
with Deb, and thanks to the help she gave me I now have a job I love!”
“Thanks to CSV I can now
use a computer and I know what I want to do for a living for the first
time in my life”.
“IAG taught me how to look
at the skills I have, some of which I had never thought of before. I am
now much more confident in myself and my abilities”.
“When I got out of prison I
did not think anyone could give me a job. Deb helped me to contact
employers. I got a job in a hotel and they have given me training. I hope
to finish my NVQ Level 2 in Hospitality next year. This will be my first
qualification. I have never been happier and will never go back to prison
again, because I feel I have something to offer at last”.
“Forms and letters don’t
scare me anymore”.
“Deb helped me to find
voluntary work and a college course. The charity I volunteered for have
now offered me a paid job. I always thought volunteering was a waste of
time. But it was one of the best things I have ever done. My college
course has been good too, I have done first aid and a basic food hygiene
certificate. I thought I was too old to learn, but now I have the learning
bug I plan to keep on taking courses”.
“Let more people know about
this service!”
“Debbie was very helpful
she made me feel relaxed and not intimidated by the interview. I left with
a positive feeling”
“She was friendly and
welcoming she made me feel relaxed and I felt confident about her advice.
I managed to get a job at Fun Casinos with her help”
Press Cuttings
Cutting from the Weston Mercury April 2007
Newspaper Article from Clevedon Mercury
letters page 2007
Careers Advice
I just wanted to draw your readers attention to the free careers advice
service that is taking place in our area. I went along to Clevedon Job
Centre and they sent me to talk to Debbie. I got help putting a CV
together and then took it along to a shop in Clevedon, and was offered a
part-time job. One of my friends went along to a session in Yatton and got
help looking for voluntary work. She is now volunteering two half days a
week looking after people with special needs, and she is really enjoying
it. She is planning to go to college in September to get some
qualifications. If anyone needs help looking for a job or course they can
phone CSV and find out when the next session is. They are held in Clevedon,
Nailsea, Congresbury & Yatton. The service was a great help to me and I
hope that other readers will get help if they need it. (name & address
supplied)
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