Member News: St Christopher's - The journey to employment: how our specialist team help young people to thrive at work

Cassie was supported by our Aftercare service on the Isle of Man from the age of 16. Initially she was in an unhealthy relationship and had fallen into a lifestyle of drug and alcohol misuse. Her life was moving along a trajectory where she felt unhappy and had little hope for her future.

She then started working with Support Into Employment, our specialist team that help care leavers learn workplace skills and find the right job for them.

Cassie was interested in a career in banking but her only experience was in waitressing. She wanted to make changes to her life but struggled to see how to get to where she wanted to be.

The team supported her to complete a trial at a local restaurant to build up her confidence, which led to full-time work as a waitress. Meanwhile, Cassie started an online banking course to develop her skillset for the career she dreamed of.

However, within a few weeks the negative influences in Cassie’s life put her under pressure, impacting on her performance and attendance at work. Part of Support Into Employment’s remit is to work closely with the employer to help them understand reasons behind a young person’s behaviours. Although the workplace offered many chances to Cassie they could no longer sustain her employment, but the support of our team helped the role to come to a positive end.

Cassie took some time out to reflect and access emotional support. Support Into Employment then found a contact at a bank, who was willing to offer a contracted period of employment. Cassie felt motivated and seized this opportunity with both hands.

Since then Cassie has quickly adapted to working at the bank and found a new peer group. She is on a permanent contract and has been working from home as a banking associate during the coronavirus outbreak. Her life is far from what she imagined it could be even just one year ago, thanks to Support Into Employment giving her the tools and self-belief to achieve her goals.

We want to help more young people like Cassie. Can you support us by making a donation to St Christopher’s today?

Source:
www.stchris.org.uk

---