Foundation4work, delivered by the Foundations charity in Gateshead, provides up to 12 weeks of free support with job seeking, CV writing, attending interviews and any other part of the process of finding work that people might struggle with. It also gives people hands on experience in a retail and warehouse setting, to gain the skills and confidence that employers are looking for.
We share how the programme helped AP to gain the skills and experience needed to create a strong CV, which led to him securing a job. We also share the many other positive changes that AP experienced along the way that he could take with him in his future endeavours.
Meet AP
AP is 18 and lives in Gateshead. He was unemployed when he got in touch in 2022 about our Foundation4Work programme. He wanted help to look for work, and did not have a CV at the time, and wanted to gain some work experience.
At the Beginning
AP began his time on the programme by becoming familiar with the Foundations charity, and getting to know his way around, and once provided with his PPE, he began carrying out tasks such as sorting and moving furniture, loading and unloading the van.
As AP undertook more tasks, he then became confident to assist the drivers with collections and deliveries as a driver’s mate.
Foundations has two drivers, and they both commented how well AP worked with customers while visiting their homes and how quickly he became part of the team.
During his first few weeks, AP also completed multiple online ACAS courses in our training room, such as equality and diversity, inclusion in the workplace, bullying & harassment.
Within a short space of time, AP had plenty to add to his CV, backed up by references from the Foundations team, and the Foundation4Work mentors helped him to build his CV, and apply for work online.
Moving Closer towards Employment
With application then submitted, the next step AP wanted to focus on was interview techniques. He took part in sessions focused on confidence building using mock interviews, and learnt the best way to prepare ahead of meeting an employer for the first time.
Overall, AP spent 12 weeks with the Foundation4Work team, who all said he was “fantastic throughout”.
We caught up with AP some time later after he left the programme, and he told us:-
“I recently found a job. With this new job I have been working a lot. Thank you for all of your help and guidance for work, I am more confident in interviews. The job is through a recruitment agency, sorting parcels for Christmas, and they are now helping me get a permanent job”.
What Else has Changed for AP?
Foundation4work focuses on employability skills and work experience, but there are many other benefits that make a positive difference to people’s overall wellbeing…
Not only did AP feel like he had increased employability skills on leaving the programme, his confidence improved significantly as a result of talking to other team members regularly as well feeling empowered by using how own initiative to manage his own workload when working independently.
His aspirations also improved, and he told us that the programme had inspired him to think about the future. The physical aspects of working in a community furniture charity helped him to improve his physical health, and he felt less anxious and more confident. He felt working on the van and meeting lots of different people greatly improved his communication skills.
This has led to him feeling more positively about friendships and socialising, and overall he feels good about himself and his potential.
To find out more about volunteering and employment support in Gateshead, call the team on 0191 477 8337 or visit the Foundation4Work website.