“His life has drastically changed since being part of GM’s Hidden Talent, he felt like everyone had given up on him and there were no opportunities out there for him. His progress shows that there are many young people out there who just need someone to guide them in the right direction for their true potential to flourish. As a result of his achievements, some of his friends have now joined the Hidden Talent programme.”
Dave Mayers, our Talent Coach at The Broughton Trust, reflects upon the incredible progress made by one of the young people he has supported…
“We had supported this young person’s friends who are all now working. He wanted to work in construction (like his friends), so came to see if we could help. He was living at home with his parents and girlfriend and really wanted to work, but had no qualifications from school. He couldn’t manage in mainstream school, so finished his education through Salford online learning.
“We spoke to this young person about attending a week-long CSCS course, which would enable him to get the qualification he needed to gain employment in the construction sector.
“The young person had always struggled in a busy classroom environment – a feature of the CSCS course. We discussed this and he agreed that he needed to give the course a chance. On the first day I met the young person there. He was nervous, so we had a chat to settle his nerves before he went into class.
“Once he seemed settled I went back to the office. Within two hours the young person called to say he couldn’t manage and walked out of the class. I asked him to come and see me so we could look at formulating a 'plan B'.
“We looked at various options but the qualification is essentially classroom-based. The only option was to source an organisation who could deliver the course one-to-one. We found someone who did this - but it is not something there is any available funding for. We (The Broughton Trust) took the decision to pay the £180 fee. We thought it important to do this, as the young person’s barrier was simply the classroom environment – if we could 'do away' with that and the young person could get his qualification, I was confident he would move into work.
“The young person attended and passed the course. The next step was to revise for the Health, Safety and Environment test. The young person was very committed, coming to our office every day to revise. After he passed a mock test we booked and took him for the final test - which he passed! We ordered his CSCS card, produced a CV and began to look for work.
“Two weeks later a local company called A&B Engineering approached us looking for a labourer to start on a city-centre site. We mentioned the young person and explained a little bit about him. A&B offered him an interview.
“I did a lot of interview preparation with the young person who was very nervous – he had never had an interview before. On the day, I took him for the interview. He came out feeling quite positive. He said that the interview was quite informal and seemed to go well. Later that day he got a phone call offering him the job…to start the following Monday! I took the young person to buy his PPE (work clothes) and also took him to work on his first morning. We believe this really helps, as it means there is one less thing to worry about on a first day, and we can give a few words of encouragement on the drive in. When he finished his shift, the young person rang me: he’d had a really good day.
“The team he was working with were sub-contractors for A&B, , a ductwork company called Ventorex LTD. After a few weeks they offered him a job and the opportunity to train to become a skilled worker. The young person has now completed training and is a IPAF (International Powered Access Federation) licensed engineer and is really enjoying his job. He recently won employee of the month!"
“Seeing how far this young person has come in quite a short time is amazing. Working every day, meeting new people, making new friends and feeling like he has a purpose every morning has boosted his confidence so much. You can see it.
“His life has drastically changed since being part of GM’s Hidden Talent, he felt like everyone had given up on him and there were no opportunities out there for him. His progress shows that there are many young people out there who just need someone to guide them in the right direction for their true potential to flourish. As a result of his achievements, some of his friends have now joined the Hidden Talent programme.”
Reflecting on his progress, the young person said: "Thanks to Dave and the Broughton Trust I have managed to secure and maintain my first job, whilst also passing the IPAF course and being awarded employee of the month within the first six months of being there. They have helped me come a very long way from where I first started, the support they have given me is amazing and I couldn’t of done it without them."
