Harvey attended our programme in late 2021 and has now moved into a Kickstart position at B&M. He credits the course for building his confidence in securing work. We spoke to Harvey to see how he evaulated his time on the course and how he is feeling now.

What were you doing before you started the programme?
Harvey had attended College for three years and completed a bricklaying course. It was during his third year he realised he was not best suited to this vocation. Since completing the course, he had been unemployed looking and applying for jobs, with the support of his Work Coach and Black Country Impacts – a job seeking resource local to him. Harvey explained he is still not sure what his passion is yet but wanted a job to start earning some money.

How did you find out about the training?
“During a meeting with my Work Coach who thought I would benefit from attending and taking part. I heard I could get some good interview tips so I figured, why not!”

Why did you decide to join?
“It was the prospect of gaining some help with my job searches, making applications and gaining some interview tips, all of which would be of benefit to me.”

What did you think of the training? How did it help you?
“I really enjoyed the first two days which was a big team exercise. I had a camera operating role which was fun to try and use. I am a shy person and can find it hard talking to people, so it helped me to manage this. It really helped me with talking to people again.
In taking the course, I felt more confident and gained some new knowledge of retail, which I was keen to try.”

Were there any barriers or obstacles you had to overcome?
“I am shy, and there were times I had to try to deal with those feelings, such as using a camera in front of everyone and not getting anything wrong and doing a voice recorded interview. However, once I got into it, I didn’t feel as uncomfortable and it was fine.”

What are you doing now?
“I am employed at B&M in a Kickstart role as a Customer Assistant. My role includes a little bit of everything, helping customers find what they need, recovery of the isles – restoring them again to what they were before the customers come into the store, cleaning and replenishing the shelves. It took a while to get a hang of it but I’m enjoying the role and enjoying earning some money.”

What impact has the training had on your life?
“The course has given me the confidence to find and secure a job. I found out about this opportunity with B&M while I was on the course, and it helped me to prepare for my interview.
It also helped me overcome my shyness and be more comfortable speaking to people.”

What are your plans for the future?
Harvey would like to be kept on in the role if the opportunity is available. Either way, he feels more confident about job searching in the future.

What would you say to someone who was thinking about doing the training but wasn’t sure?
“I would recommend it, the course is fun and you learn new things.”