Aurora, a mother of two young children, joined the JETS employment programme having been in the country for a short period of time and with limited English-speaking skills. She was a hairdresser for 15 years in her home country but since moving to the UK has not been able to find employment.
Aurora was described by her Employment Advisor as someone who knew exactly what she wanted and where she wanted to be in couple of years. Aurora shared that apart from her current level of spoken English, her biggest challenge was finding employment that could fit around her childcare commitments. Her long-term career goal was to work as a Teaching Assistant. With the help of her Employment Advisor, they came up with a three-step plan:
- Find suitable courses that would allow Aurora to move towards her career goal.
- Improve her English.
- Find short-term employment to add more experience to her CV.
Aurora showed great commitment and determination and completed a Teaching Assistant and a Food Hygiene Level 2 Course with the Digital College. She also attended online ESOL Conversation Cafés, where she strengthened her spoken English.
To find suitable short-term employment, her Employment Advisor put her forward for a job with Enhance Catering, an employer Shaw Trust works with nationally. Enhance Catering offer flexible shift patterns at schools, hospitals and care homes, suitable for single parents. Working at a school was perfect for Aurora to get used to the environment and move towards her goal of becoming a Teaching Assistant. She completed her application and provided all the necessary documents. A couple of days later she was offered a role as a School Catering Assistant!
After starting work, Aurora found the working hours a challenge to fit around her children and struggled with how far she had to travel. Aurora spoke to her Employment Advisor about this and they were able to speak to Enhance Catering and find a closer location with more suitable working hours.
Aurora is looking forward to continuing to work towards her long-term goal of becoming a Teaching Assistant.
What is JETS?
JETS is a programme designed to help you if you are recently unemployed and need some extra support to find work. The programme offers support for up to six months and you’ll have a dedicated employment advisor who will provide advice, guidance and support.
Click here to find out more about JETS and how to be referred.