For jet-setting Ian Duckworth from Blackpool, returning to the UK after 18 months living in Turkey was an occasion mired with grief. Now a new job has offered him the lifeline he needs to get his career and mental wellbeing back on track.
With a varied background in the travel and foreign exchange industries, 38 year-old Ian jumped at the opportunity to move abroad when his partner was offered a secondment working in Turkey. When his mum contracted cancer in the spring of 2020, he faced the difficult complications of the pandemic to get home to the UK to be with her.
“I had six weeks with my mum, but when she died, we simply couldn’t face the upheaval of going back to Turkey,” explains Ian. “This is a difficult time for everyone, but losing mum just knocked me for six. I began overthinking everything and had too much time on my hands.”
Ian received Jobseekers Allowance and after 13 weeks out of work, voluntarily signed up to the newly-launched WHP JETS programme suggested by Kevin Sadler, his Work Coach at Blackpool Jobcentre Plus. He was referred to local delivery partner Ingeus and put in contact with Employment Coach Tracey Fulton.
“I really needed something positive to focus on and Tracey was excellent at giving me structured, practical help,” Ian continues. “Following an initial video call, Tracey helped me update and polish my CV and we talked about different career paths, given that jobs in travel and tourism are not going to be viable for some time yet.
“I was so worried about doing interviews. I hadn’t done one for more than four years, and certainly never pre-recorded on a webcam at home. I was all new to me and my confidence was pretty low. Tracey arranged two separate mock video interviews with Ingeus colleagues, and I soon got into my stride answering customer service related questions.”
Things moved quickly for Ian as a result and after applying for a role suggested by Tracey he is now employed in a telephone-based customer service role, working at home full-time.
Ian concludes: “I have structure to my day again and feel like I’m doing something useful. It’s new, different work experience to add to my CV and after the pandemic, I can see where it leads me. For now, I’m happy to have a job and to be working through my grief. I know my mum would be proud.”
The Job Entry Targeted Support (JETS) Programme is commissioned by the Department for Work and Pensions and receives support from the European Social Fund. A separate strand of the Work and Health Programme (WHP), it provides fast paced continuous support to participants negatively affected by COVID-19 labour market changes. Ingeus supports the delivery of JETS in the North West, Greater London, Greater Manchester, the North East, and Central areas.
https://ingeus.com/uk/what-we-do/employability/job-entry-targeted-support-jets/jets-north-west