Restart Scheme

Newtown Head Chef overcomes barriers to work

23rd Nov 2021 Restart Scheme

CY

Living in temporary accommodation in a remote local wood in mid-Wales, with limited access to public transport, limited Wifi and no phone signal; John* faced multiple barriers to work. 

Sophie, his Remploy Job Coach, assessed John's needs and devised a personalised coaching and training plan. And as their rapport built, John opened-up about his real passion for cooking, and explained he had previously worked as a Chef and wanted to find similar work. 

John focused his efforts on pre-employability training including confidence building and motivational workshops, and received guidance on how to polish his CV and effectively utilise ‘the hidden jobs market’ on Facebook to find and apply for roles. He also personally delivered copies of his CV to local hospitality managers so he could make more of a connection. 

The hard work paid off and John secured an interview at a local restaurant and learnt a few days later he had the role of Head Chef, to begin the next week. Once he had secured the position, funding was allocated to buy specialist kitchen equipment so that John could settle with ease in his new role. 

Sophie said: “I’m delighted that John has found a job he is passionate about. We were able to use the flexibility that the Restart Scheme offers to dispel a common misconception about funded support – we could help him regardless of his location, connectivity or access to transport. The fact we could arrange funding for specialist equipment was the cherry on top!”

*Psuedonym

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