For the past five years Kate had been working as a ‘Healthcare Support Worker’ on a zero-hours contract but had recently stopped receiving enough hours from her employer to cover her weekly food shops, energy bills and rent; and with financial worries negatively impacting her mental health, Kate decided to reach out to YES Manchester for support.

Kate had never previously accessed employment benefits; however, the YES team quickly supported her to apply for ‘Universal Credit’, helping to relieve her financial pressures, whilst allowing her to focus on finding a new opportunity.

At age 56, Kate was despondent about her future, and her chances of finding something new, however the team at YES reassured Kate that her wealth of experience in the care sector, would make her an excellent candidate for a range of new opportunities, and they set about creating an action plan to help her secure a permanent job.

Over a two-month period, Kate regularly attended appointments with YES advisor, Marika, were she received support to develop her CV and personal profile, help with job searches and job applications, and basic computer skills training, enabling Kate to build her digital confidence, and apply for jobs online; and before long, Kate was surprised, but delighted, to find out that she had been invited to attend an interview for a full-time position as a ‘Health Care Assistant’.

With several years since Kate’s last interview, Marika organised an interview skills support session, helping Kate to practice mock interview questions based on the job description and person specification for the role, helping Kate to feel more prepared and confident ahead of the interview.

Kate smashed the interview and was delighted to inform us that she had been offered a full-time permanent role with ‘Broughton Care Home’, providing specialist support for veterans in Salford, an offer that she excitedly accepted.

But the YES support doesn’t stop there! We aim to ensure the transition into work or a new job for our customers is as seamless as possible.

We continue as on-hand support to Kate and all of our customers in case of any challenges they face in their workplace.

Kate’s success story reiterates YES’s commitment and dedication to empowering individuals from diverse backgrounds to overcome barriers and secure meaningful employment opportunities.