The Restart Scheme Helps Lone Parent Joanna Find Work After 3 Years of Unemployment

• The Growth Company (GC) delivers the Restart Scheme in Greater Manchester on behalf of Ingeus.
• Commissioned by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), the scheme provides up to 12 months of enhanced support to people like Joanna, helping them find jobs in their local area.
• Find out how we helped Joanna return to work after a long absence. 

Joanna was referred to the Restart Scheme in Trafford by her Jobcentre Plus Work Coach earlier this year in January. She is a lone parent with a toddler and found it difficult to find suitable part time work, especially after being unemployed for three years. Joanna was finding that employers were looking for recent work experience and were not prepared to even consider her with the skill-set she had.

Before starting on the programme, Joanna knew close to nothing about the Restart Scheme, but stayed open-minded and showed a high level of dedication from the day she was referred. She was introduced to her Restart Advisor Geraldine, and the two would have fortnightly reviews, as well as action plan updates to see how Joanna was progressing. Initially, Joanna mentioned that she wasn’t feeling overly confident about going back to work as it had been so long since her last job and felt like she hadn’t made any progress at the interviews she had previously attended.

With support from the Restart Scheme, gradually, her confidence grew. Joanna attended several sessions on iWorks where she learnt how to navigate around the careers portal and use the different tools available to enhance her job search. She also attendee a CV building session where Joanna was said to have one of the best CVs a participant had ever presented.

At the start of February this year, Joanna attended a job interview for a receptionist role at a dental practice, she was successful and was offered the job, however, after careful consideration she decided not to accept the job offer – this is due to her previous role being similar to this, and she didn’t wish to return. This demonstrates that she was looking for a job that suited her needs, not just a role that would pay the bills. Geraldine continued to work with Joanna and the two applied for a number of roles that met the hours that Joanna was able to commit to. Shortly after, Joanna secured another interview which she was successful at and accepted the job offer at the end of February.

Joanna had this to say: “I’m grateful for all your help and I’m happy to be getting into a routine again. I have also started my volunteering induction in preparation for my social care job application in September when my child starts school.”

Commissioned by the Department for Work and Pensions, The Growth Company delivers the Restart Scheme in Greater Manchester on behalf of Ingeus, the lead provider for this region.

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The Growth Company is an award-winning social enterprise with a mission to generate growth, create jobs, and improve lives. We provide employment services across Greater Manchester, the Liverpool City Region, Lancashire, Cheshire, and Yorkshire and Humber.

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