Simon was referred by the job centre to the restart programme at Riverside Training back in June as he was long-term unemployed. Riverside Training work with Restart as a delivery partner for Jobs22, who are the prime deliverer for the Department of Work and Pensions, and they work with you to tailor pathways back into employment. Since joining Restart, Simon has been successfully employed by APM Cleaning & Repair, cleaning communal areas in sheltered housing owned by acis group. We were able to speak with Simon, who is also an acis customer, to find out all about his employment success.
What are your hobbies and interests?
Born and bred in Leicester, I moved to Gainsborough last year as I purchased a shared ownership property at Bowling Green. I felt that my age was against me when looking for a mortgage and I saw a property that I thought wouldn't come up every day. My hobbies include music, everything in the rock genre, attending music festivals and DIY. I can turn my hand to anything, recently I converted a van into a camper van.
How did you find out about employability support at Riverside?
I was referred by the job centre back in June because I was classed as long-term unemployed. I was disappointed with not getting anywhere with applying for so many jobs over the past year.
How was the restart programme able to support you in your search for employment?
I knew what I wanted to do but I needed a bit of help to do it. Riverside got me in touch with an accredited online cleaning course, a certificate like this helps. They also put me on the get into warehousing course that included healthy and safety for chemicals which interested me. These qualifications helped me shine more than others when applying for jobs, if somebody asks what qualifications I have I can now say I have them and it gets me further than someone that hasn’t.
What support have you received from Riverside as part of these courses?
When I was first employed, Riverside supplied me with work wear, being unemployed I didn’t have much money so this was a big help. They helped me out with job hunting and put me in the right direction for my current job. They helped me with my CV and suggested ways of changing it and adjusting it.
What would you say to anyone unsure about seeking employability support at Riverside?
Anything is worth a try, if you’re desperate to get yourself into work then give it a go.
How is your job going so far?
It’s the end of my first week and I’m working on my own already. Next week is my first full week on my own. I will get my head down and get on with it, it’s nice to be out and about. I get to chat to the residents and I’m very happy with everything.
At Riverside training Simon was supported by Jo, Louise, Michael and Olga. Simon shared his gratitude for their efforts “They were very helpful and went out on a limb for me; if you show you want to do something, they do their best to help you.”
Simon's Employer shared his praise for Simon's efforts so far
Shaun Maitland, Operations Manager at APM Cleaning & Repair is very happy with Simon “He has been brilliant from day one of joining APM Cleaning. He is very pragmatic and is learning everything at a great pace. It’s a pleasure to have Simon on the team”
Congratulations Simon!
