Katherine joined the Yeovil Work and Health Programme (WHP) in April 2023
Fifty-two-year-old Katherine had limited digital skills, a visual impairment and she had not worked in 29 years prior to joining the WHP with Seetec.
Katherine found out about the WHP after meeting Kerry from the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) at an event in Poole.
After discussing the WHP with her work coach at the Jobcentre, Katherine was referred to Seetec in Yeovil for support.
Katherine’s break from employment was due to her parental responsibilities and she now felt ready to return to work.
Her longer-term plan is to set up a holistic therapy business but Katherine’s immediate goal was to find work as an administrative assistant.
Her visual impairment means that she is accompanied by her guide dog Urma when travelling.
As a first step, Katherine was keen to improve her digital skills as she tells us; “Technology has changed dramatically since 1995!”
Confident and happier
Her employment adviser helped Katherine by referring her to Cosmic who are Seetec’s digital skills partner in the Southwest.
James from Cosmic helped Katherine with becoming familiar with accessibility features and learning how to use a laptop.
The support from Cosmic left Katherine feeling confident and happier and has enabled Katherine to apply for jobs online.
Katherine tells us; “James has been very patient and helpful in finding the right settings for my needs.”
Feeling ready to take the next step towards finding work, Katherine started to engage with employability trainer, Claire.
Work together to help Katherine
Claire helped Katherine with improving her employability skills, together they focused on CVs, cover letters and job searching online.
Kerry helped Katherine to access a grant for a laptop and the RNIB’s IT department provided Katherine with ongoing tech support.
Claire and Kerry would often work together to help Katherine to find suitable employment opportunities.
One example of this is when Kerry recommmend a vacancy with the RNIB for Katherine.
Claire and Kerry discussed the vacancy together before Claire supported Katherine with the application.
Kerry tells us; “Claire has been amazing, both in support of Katherine and collaborating with me to boost Katherine’s confidence.
Claire says; “This is a perfect example of how to deliver effective multi-agency support and I am grateful that we have had the specialist support from Kerry and the RNIB and Cosmic.”
Interviews started to flow in
With the know-how, equipment and confidence in place, Claire supported Katherine with making job applications.
The joint effort between Kerry, Claire and Katherine soon paid off as the interviews started to flow in.
Katherine recalls her interview breakthrough moment; “Suddenly they all came at once, I had three in total!”
Although Katherine was not successful with two of these interviews, she remained upbeat as it helped her to build up her interview confidence.
On hand to help
The third interview she was offered was for a placement with the RNIB for an administrative assistant opportunity.
This was a virtual interview on Microsoft Teams and the Seetec Yeovil team were on hand to help her.
Team Yeovil set up Katherine’s IT equipment in a quiet room at the Seetec office, that way they would be on hand to help if needed.
Katherine says; “Using the Seetec office made me feel a lot calmer and the interview went well!”
After a successful interview, Katherine was offered a paid, three month long placement with the RNIB.
An asset to any employer
Katherine recalls how she was always unsuccessful at interviews in the past.
Delighted with her interview success, Katherine says; “There were 89 applicants for the role and this time I was the successful candidate!”
She recognises that the combined effort from Cosmic, Seetec and RNIB has made a huge difference and helped her to get back to work.
Katherine tells us; “The support has given me the confidence to finally give myself a well-deserved pat on the back!”
Claire says; “Katherine is the most resilient person I have ever met, her drive and determination to overcome challenges is admirable.”
She continues; “Congratulations Katherine, I could not be prouder of you and wish you all the best in your new job.”
Delighted with the end result, Kerry tells us; “For the next 12 weeks, I get to call Katherine my colleague.”
Kerry continues; “I’m so proud of how far she’s come and know that she will be an asset to any employer in the future.”
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Do you have a visual impairment and want to get back to work?
Ask your work coach at Jobcentre Plus about the Work and Health Programme.
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