LIAM: Digital Skills & pre-employability graduate
*To protect identities, images are not specific to the stories and names may be changed.
Liam’s Journey to The Social Switch Project:
When first met Liam through an event at Stockwell Job Centre, he was a 22-year-old graduate of forensic science with aspirations of joining the police force.
The police application process is lengthy, and Liam wanted to use the time to upskill himself and secure other professional avenues. His main barrier to work was that he lacked confidence and had no previous work experience. He wanted to gain more work and social skills through our Digital Skills & Pre-Employability Programme to overcome these barriers.
Finding Liam Support:
Liam is a polite and introverted young person that can come across as shy at times. At the beginning of the Programme, he was very quiet, taking in his surroundings.
We provided him with career-based support, helping him to improve his CV, cover letter, and interview techniques. Liam also learned how to use social media positively and safely, not only in his personal life but also in a professional setting. He worked with a team of young people on live project briefs gaining skills in project management, presenting and pitching, content creation, editing, filming, networking, and more.
It was during the project management task that Liam’s abilities became clear. He was selected to be the task leader and was able to provide clear instructions to his team. He delegated tasks efficiently and took instructions well.
From here Liam really came out of his shell, becoming a well-respected member of the team and sharing his opinions and ideas more freely. By working closely with his team Liam increased his teamwork and social skills, overcoming the confidence barrier that was holding him back.
During the course, Liam was invited to an interview with the police. His work coach helped him to prepare for this by researching questions likely to come up and conducting multiple mock interviews with him. These mock interviews boosted Liam’s confidence and helped him to feel prepared.
Outcomes:
We are so impressed with Liam’s progression. Once he had graduated from the course his work coach supported him in a work placement with INK-Global, the world’s largest travel media agency. They are an exciting company to work for whose motto is “you will leave here better than we found you”.
Liam was assigned the task of coming up with marketing strategies to attract a more diverse group of people into the organisation. He took all the skills he learned in the course and put them into practice; joining team meetings, taking down briefs, brainstorming with colleagues, and delivering a finished product.
He did so well in the work placement that they offered him a full-time role within the social media department. He was still interested in joining the police and awaiting the results of his interview at which point he would decide which career to pursue. His application to join the police force was successful, and he happily accepted the role.
Liam is very pleased with his personal journey. Through the programme, he made many friends and connections that he can lean on in the future. He now has structure and routine In his life which is ultimately giving him purpose and a sense of belonging. Liam feels confident in his abilities and is looking forward to his career in the police, he is also secure in the knowledge that he has other avenues to pursue.
Find Out More
Learn more about our Digital Skills & Pre-Employability Programme here
António: Digital skills & Employability GRADUATE
TW: mentions of suicide & mental health conditions
António’s Journey to The Social Switch Project:
António was referred to our Digital Skills & Pre-Employability Programme via Ignite Trust.
He battled with mental health conditions from a young age. Around the time of his GCSEs he experienced immense stress, being the youngest in his family he felt pressured to meet the standards set by his siblings. He grew paranoid and suffered from auditory hallucinations, believing that people were talking about him and laughing at him. This stress gave António seizures and he sadly attempted suicide. As a result, he was sectioned under the mental health act and police took him into custody. He believes that he was treated like a criminal on that day which was damaging and hurtful to him.
António spent 2 years in and out of the hospital, diagnosed with Undifferentiated Schizophrenia and Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder. After seeing a therapist, he believes his life was saved. He wants to use his experiences to help people that are suffering from mental health conditions - and planned to use the Digital Skills & Pre-Employability Programme to improve his digital skills and ability to reach a wider audience.
Finding António Support:
As António was not in education and out of work for some time the programme gave him a chance to return to a routine and structure. It also provided the opportunity for him to meet and collaborate with young people from both similar backgrounds and different backgrounds.
Following his previous experiences with the education system we worked with António in the way that was most comfortable for him. He would arrive early every day and have a sit-down with us to check in on how he was doing mentally and offer him some insight into what the class would entail for that day.
As António graduated from the programme, the UK went into lockdown due to the covid-19 pandemic. He was keen to collaborate with others and work on projects, but being in a lockdown he was unable to partner with some. He built a good rapport with his careers coach, who worked with him to improve his CV, write effective cover letters, practice interview techniques, and develop job-searching skills. António was interested in roles in social action.
Using the momentum from the programme, António put his energy into a number of different ventures including re-enrolling back into his BSC Psychology with Cognitive Neuroscience, recording a mental health podcast, and designing a t-shirt with proceeds going to charity.
Outcomes:
Since graduating from the programme António has gone on to accomplish some incredible achievements. He is a Mental Health Activist and Anti-Racism Campaigner. António has given talks at various schools, universities, conferences, and workplaces including the University of Birmingham, the GDS youth summit, and more.
He is a media volunteer for the mental health charity Mind and advised BBC’s EastEnders on their schizophrenia storyline based on his lived experience. BBC 1Xtra featured him on the podcast If You Don’t Know to discuss this, and he has also joined the Prince and Princess of Wales for a discussion on mental health during a special episode of BBC Radio 1’s Newsbeat.
In 2022 he won the Janey Antoniou Award, celebrating his campaigning work challenging stigma and creating change for people living with mental health conditions.
Find Out More
Learn more about our Digital Skills & Pre-Employability Programme here
Keep up to date with António: António Ferreira | Linktree
Dion: Digital Skills & Pre-Employability Programme
*To protect identities, images are not specific to the stories and names may be changed.
Dion’s Journey to The Social Switch Project:
Dion relocated to the UK from the Caribbean just over a year ago. He has found meeting his father’s expectations in terms of employment and education challenging. Desiring financial independence, Dion expressed an interest in obtaining his CSCS (Construction Skills Certification Scheme) card to pursue opportunities in the construction industry.
However, Dion faced difficulties in obtaining his CSCS card early last year, which left him feeling demoralised. He attended the Elephant and Castle Careers Fair in June 2023, where he met representatives from The Social Switch Project and signed up for our Digital Skills & Pre-Employability Programme.
Finding Dion support:
Once Dion connected with The Social Switch Project, he shared his aspiration to attain his CSCS card and actively engaged in exploring pathways with his career mentor to achieve this goal. Recognising his determination, The Social Switch Project provided him with the necessary resources and mentorship to navigate the CSCS card application process successfully.
His career mentor facilitated one-on-one mentoring sessions, helping him to understand the requirements, providing study materials, and helping him through preparation for the assessment. By establishing a positive and motivating environment, The Social Switch Project instilled confidence in Dion, empowering him to overcome the challenges he faced previously.
Outcomes:
Dion’s dedication and hard work paid off, and he successfully obtained his CSCS card. With his newly acquired CSCS card, Dion and his career mentor searched for secure employment opportunities. His career mentor was able to connect Dion with employers in the construction sector, and he successfully secured a role.
Expressing his gratitude, Dion reached out to The Social Switch Project via email to say thank you to his career mentor for the support. The Social Switch Project continues to support Dion post programme.
Find Out More:
Learn more about our Digital Skills & Pre-Employability Programme here
LUCY: DIGITAL SKILLS & PRE-EMPLOYABILITY GRADUATE
*To protect identities, images are not specific to the stories and names may be changed.
Lucy’s Journey to The Social Switch Project:
When Lucy finished college she felt lost and unsure of what direction to take in life. Her friends were going to University, but she wanted to follow her passion for creating content and began to search for entry-level roles in marketing and advertising.
Unfortunately, she did not receive any of the positions she applied for, often receiving emails informing her that she was unsuccessful with no specific feedback.
Lucy found our Digital Skills & Employability Programme through social media. She was keen to join so she could develop skills relevant to the work she was looking for.
Finding Lucy Support:
Lucy had some previous working experience and although the roles were not directly relevant to marketing she certainly had some transferable skills. It was a case of teaching her how to better showcase those skills and tailor her CV, job applications, and cover letter specifically to the roles she was applying for.
Lucy gained additional skills for the digital industry whilst on the course, through both classroom instruction and taking on practical tasks both individually and as a team. Through Q&A sessions with special guests, she was able to gain more professional insights into the reality of the market, the challenges she may face, and how real professionals have overcome such instances in their own journeys.
Lucy gained key exposure to real-life working situations relevant to the marketing and advertisement industry. Working with a team she delivered a brilliant final project which was well-detailed, and engaging, and presented it to an audience (clients).
After graduating from the programme, Lucy and her careers coach reviewed different marketing job descriptions so they could identify which roles were best suited for her. Lucy’s careers coach was then able to forward her the most relevant opportunities for her to apply to. Lucy then practiced mock interviews, rehearsing generic and industry-relevant questions to boost her confidence and help her feel prepared.
Lucy felt she needed some further education and skills to secure work so we provided her access to a premium editing software and an online course to help her get up to speed quickly, whilst also receiving further accreditation.
Outcomes:
Lucy had the right aptitude and potential to achieve the goals she had set. The programme and the careers coaching helped Lucy to make herself stand out in a crowded market. Using the skills she learned during the programme she no longer faced rejection and was able to secure a marketing apprenticeship for herself.
Find Out More:
Learn more about our Digital Skills & Pre-Employability Programme here
Dwight’s Journey To The Social Switch Project
Before joining our Digital Skills & Pre-Employability Programme, Dwight felt stuck. He wanted to pursue a career in videography but was unsure of which path to go down. He heard about The Social Switch Project after completing a previous programme with Catch22.
Outcomes
Dwight graduated from our Digital Skills & Pre-Employability Programme and has gone on to establish himself as a videographer. He is now working as a Junior Videographer and designer, he is enjoying his role which includes editing videos for clients and attending behind-the-scenes video shoots with upcoming artists. He has also found his niche, basketball, and shares his work on Instagram and Twitter under the handle @UKHoopsFam
Find Out More
Learn more about our Digital Skills & Pre-Employability Programme here
Keep up to date with Dwight: UKHoopsFam