Coaching Stefen into employment

“I was coming to the end of my Apprenticeship in the Performance and Support team and was really keen to stay with Abri as I enjoyed my time there as well as the communications I’d had with other teams and colleagues. Unfortunately, there weren’t any positions available within the team where I was an apprentice, and I’d taken a few interviews for other roles with no success. 

“I’d been keeping Jenn, my Apprenticeship Co-ordinator, up to date and she recommended a mock interview to receive some constructive feedback about my interview answers. She mentioned that she could put me in touch with an Abri Employment Coach, to get this set up for me. At first, I was unsure but after some consideration, I reached out for support. 

“The biggest challenge I faced was time, my apprenticeship was set to end in in April and I was ready to submit all my work for the final exams, but it didn’t make sense to do this before securing a job. I ended up stuck in a strange kind of limbo, not knowing if I’d have a job to support my partner and son with the deadline of my studies approaching quickly. 

“My Employment Coach, Ann, set up a mock interview with me and provided feedback afterwards. She also asked me to send across the interview examples that I’d created using a template that Jenn had sent me. During my discussions with Ann, we both agreed that I was giving too much detail in my answers and that more condensed information would deter me from going off on the tangents that I continuously found myself doing. I received a bullet pointed version of the interview examples so I could focus on the details that the interviewer would want to hear. 

“Eventually, I secured an interview for an administration assistant role, and I got a call the same day of the interview letting me know I’d been successful. Receiving the call took a massive weight off my shoulders. I knew that I’d have a secure income to support my family and could also finish my apprenticeship earlier than the deadline without worry. 

“Throughout the entire process, Ann was always happy to help and would set aside some time in her day to catch up with how things were going. Having that support available if I needed it really helped make this process a lot smoother than if I’d persisted and tried to do everything on my own. 

“Everyone that I communicated with were brilliant, they listened to what I needed help with and were more than happy to work through everything with me quickly and efficiently. Even though I was un-sure at first, I’m really glad that I accepted the help. I would highly recommend anyone in need of some advice to reach out as well.” 

If you'd like support from our Employment Services, or just want to have a chat to find out more, please get in touch with us. You can email ESDepartment@abri.co.uk, call 0800 432 0570, or come see us in person at one of our Opportunities Hubs.