Engineering a new start for Joel
Our Employment and Skills team are rightfully proud of the hard work they put into helping our customers to reach their full potential when it comes to finding a job. We recently spoke to Bree, Employer Engagement Lead, about how she helped Joel, a One Manchester customer, get back on his feet.
She told us that Joel had a long career in engineering, travelling the world and spending a lot of time away from home. However, after experiencing some issues Joel sadly lost his job and returned to Manchester to start again. He reached out to the employment and skills team for support.
"He approached us to see if we could support him to look at opportunities and test the water to see if he was ready to go back to work", Bree told us.
And Joel definitely came to the right place! He initially began his journey back into the world of work with a four-week placement as a Facilities Coordinator at One Manchester, receiving excellent feedback from his team. Joel said, "I really enjoyed being back at work and being part of a team."
After this, it was a matter of working together to identify opportunities available for Joel that would suit him and his situation. We asked Bree how she went about doing this.
“We had an in-depth conversation around what Joel thought he was capable of doing at that time, and what would be most beneficial to him. We looked at employers in the engineering field, but we thought it would be best to work on confidence building with a part time role first.”
Bree approached McDonald’s and found out about an upcoming maintenance role. The tasks included cleaning, health and safety, and basic repairs – the perfect role for Joel! The next step was an informal chat with the Recruitment Manager for McDonald’s, which was a great chance for them to ask questions, get to know Joel and find out more about his background.
“The Recruitment Manager was highly impressed by Joel’s openness and determination to get back into work”, Bree told us. “She offered him an interview with the Business Manager and Joel accepted. He had a tour and an interview, and we’re very pleased to say he got the job!”
Joel now has a 15-hour contract working with supportive colleagues, and cycles to work to improve his health and wellbeing. The employment and skills team were also able to source a new backpack to help Joel get to work safely with everything he needs for the day.
And it looks like there’s a happy ending for Joel, as he said, “My self-confidence has really improved and I’m looking to the future, I want to get back into engineering full time.”
Have you recently lost a job, or do you need a helping hand to get back on your feet? Are you interested in doing a work placement? Our trained One Future team are here to help you with personalised plans and plenty of support.
