With experience in the Iraqi army and police force, as well as a UK security badge under his belt, Usman* was motivated to find work but he was struggling because he only spoke limited English.
Not having paid employment for six years and with no qualifications behind her, Louise* was finding searching for a job daunting. But her biggest concern was her anxiety, which she worried could spiral quickly and affect her mental health.
Michael*, a mature individual who had been a bus driver in Handsworth for 18 years, was made redundant during the pandemic. With a stable job unexpectedly lost later in life his confidence suffered; something that was compounded by uncertainty in how to find a job in today’s online world.
Morgan wasn’t expecting to be made redundant during the pandemic from her call centre role she’d held for three years, and her confidence took a knock. Initially, she’d tried a change in career direction back to childcare, her dream role which she held qualifications in. However, her mental health deteriorated each time she was rejected for a role due to lack of recent experience, and she no longer felt she could successfully apply for these vacancies.