Stuart left his Manager position after his health had a devastating effect on his career.
With a long career in commercial warehousing and wholesaling in the pharmaceutical sector where he progressed to a Manager position, Stuart joined the Work and Health Programme in March 2020. He had suffered a major stroke whilst at work which led to severe anxiety and, ultimately, he left his role due to his health and safety at work.
Together with his support manager, Stuart undertook an assessment on his health. The results showed that Stuart would be able to find work around his health conditions but advised to begin with up to 25 hours, have a seated option and avoid fast-paced duties.
As Stuart was keen to move into a customer-facing role, work began on his CV to pick out his transferable skills and make these relevant. One to one support with an employability coach was also available, working on job matching and searching.
During the first lockdown, Stuart passed a hospitality key qualification course and applied for a series of roles as sales assistants in bakeries and restaurants. Due to the pandemic and lack of hospitality jobs, the employers were receiving lots of applications, meaning many candidates, including Stuart, were not hearing back. Stuart secured one interview but was unfortunately unsuccessful.
Not long after, news came that a large store in Watford was recruiting and were willing to work with Shaw Trust with participants being able to apply directly by handing in a CV. Avoiding the online application side was a huge positive for Stuart and he was called for a face-to-face interview just one week later. He came away positive- and rightly so! Out of 28 applicants, Stuart got the job!
Ecstatic with his new job, Stuart now works 20 hours a week. He has picked up the role quickly, gets on well with his colleagues and has been in his position for three months already.
Stuart’s support manager says, “Stuart seems like a different person now. Stuart plans to continue where he is. He is happy to be back at work, met some lovely people and just happy in general life right now which is fantastic considering the year 2020 has been.”
Stuart cannot recommend the Work and Health Programme enough with Shaw Trust and is grateful for the amount of support available to help people get back on their feet and into work.
Massive congratulations, Stuart.