“Having Taylor and Camden Work and Wellbeing alongside has made the process smooth. I certainly couldn’t have done it without them.”

“I am a PR and Communications apprentice currently working in the Government Communications Service (GCS). I have been in the role for about 9 months. Taking the leap into employment was something that I thought long and hard about. I reached a point in my life where I thought I was ready for something but I wasn’t sure what was the right option until I looked further into apprenticeships. As I felt my previous career was no longer what I wanted to focus on, retraining appealed to me. I did more research and started applying online. I had various interviews and sessions with agencies, focusing on CV work and employability skills which really helped. After a few months, I found the role within the GCS and decided to apply, thinking I had very little chance of getting it but it would be good interview practice if I got to that point. I eventually found myself at the assessment day and then somehow with an email offering me the job! Getting back into work has really changed my life. Honestly I didn’t think it would, except possibly making me more stressed. However, I’ve found a renewed sense of self more confidence and a new maturity. I think more about considered actions now and how I relate to people more. Being around people in a non-mental health setting has been very beneficial to gain confidence and feel more at ease with myself and the world around me. Even getting used to travelling at rush hour was a change and helped me feel more comfortable in the world. Other benefits include being more aware of personal budgeting and simple things such as getting up at the same time every day. Taylor, my support worker, has been vital in keeping me in work. At the very beginning, he provided support with the panic around the change to work and the transfer from benefits. We then linked together with my manager to keep a flowing conversation around my needs happening. This is important to enable my manager to understand my ongoing workload capacity but also to enable her to have the chance to flag any concerns and have a point of contact to which she can do so. After a while, we then linked together with my apprenticeship development coach in order to make sure support was enabled on the learning side. Working together, we have created a system where we can talk and review my progress openly which is vital to make my working and learning environments places in which I can develop. Along the way, Taylor checks in with me to make sure there are no areas of concern and provides a reflective space. Overall, I’ve found the experience challenging but life changing and would recommend the leap. Having Taylor and CWaW alongside has made the process smooth and I certainly couldn’t have done it without them.”