Greg had been made redundant from his previous employment and was in need of a new job. After finding out about the Civil Service from his Work Coach, Greg knew that was what he wanted to do. At first, Greg was unsure if he would be able to secure a position in the Civil Service, so was referred to Release Potential to join one of our Civil Service courses! During his time on the course, Greg gained some insight into the application process that helped him to secure a position with the Ministry of Justice! Congratulations, Greg!

What were you doing before you started the programme?
I’d been working as a Branch Manager until March 2024 when I was made redundant. I was unemployed and my job coach mentioned the Civil Service training. I quickly secured a role so didn’t participate but the role was only for a short time and I found myself unemployed again.

How did you find out about the training?
My Work Coach referred me for the Civil Service training and I was accepted onto the course.

Why did you decide to join?
I really wanted a change from the industry I’d previously worked in. I was looking for a positive change but hopefully without too much impact from a financial perspective. I really wanted to secure a job and income to align to the skills I had and felt the course would help me to do this in an area of interest.

What did you think of the training? How did it help you?
The training was slightly different to what I had expected as there was a little more Coaching & Mentoring content than anticipated but this aligned more to be Civil Service focussed as the course progressed. I had already applied for a couple of Civil roles before the course started and this increased as I was actively applying for Civil roles whilst on programme. The insights shared during the course really assisted with getting my approach right.

Were there any barriers or obstacles you had to overcome?
I felt unsure initially as to whether I could manage to secure a Civil Service role and this was on my mind but slowly this improved. The element of different Civil Service applications having positive outcomes started to help with this and my confidence grew.

What are you doing now?
I’ve secured a role as a Team Leader, MOJ – Courts.

What impact has the training had on your life?
The training has had a really big impact on my life. Such a large proportion of time is at work and it is great that the role I have found has had such a positive outcome. I now have great work life balance and I’m able to have more quality time.

What are your plans for the future?
I want to really focus on my new role and understand where this can take me. Longer term, I’d love to remain in the Civil Service for the remainder of my working career.

What would you say to someone who was thinking about doing the training but wasn’t sure?
Get involved. Take the opportunities given with both hands and use them. There aren’t any better avenues that can unlock such positive learning.