Career goals – Poonam’s story

Poonam had decided she wanted to make a change to her life when she joined Work Routes. Whilst in her fifties, and having overcome mental health barriers, Poonam was determined not to let anything get in her way and was ready to take the next steps with employability support.

During her initial appointment, she met with Employment Adviser, Emily, who identified Poonam’s positive attitude and enthusiasm towards finding work. “Poonam attended every single appointment and was ready to do whatever it took to find work. She has always had a passion for helping others and for giving back, so no matter what job she found, we wanted to make sure it would help her to achieve this goal.” Said Emily.

Work Routes can help participants to improve their confidence and increase their readiness to work. We offer a range of courses to motivate participants in thinking positively about their own abilities and employment.

“We worked on improving her IT and interview skills through training courses and online platforms, but it wasn’t until a few months later that Poonam felt confident enough to apply for a role. We were realistic about the outcome, as it was still early in the job application process, we did not assume Poonam would get an interview, let alone a job offer right away. Poonam only submitted a handful of applications, and we were thrilled to hear that she was invited to interview.

“Poonam attended interview preparation courses with one of our Skills Trainers, who helped her to navigate the interview process and prepare for interviewing questions and answers. We were over the moon to hear that she was offered the role as a Personal Support Assistant, within the same week.”

We support participants to develop the practical skills they need to feel confident in searching and applying for work with various courses and workshops.

Poonam shared: “People say that the right people come into your life at the right time. Emily came into my life at the right time, and I can’t thank her enough.”

Emily and the team supported Poonam by preparing her for the challenges that starting work can bring. Emily helped her to create a new CV and recognise her transferrable skills which boosted her confidence and encouraged her employment journey.