Employability Case Study

Barry was referred to Brag looking for some work experience as he had been out of work for some time. A meeting was set up with Craiglea Timber Frames Ltd and they agreed to start Barry on a work placement and see how things progressed. Barry attended every day of his placement and showed super commitment and motivation, including taking two buses to get to his placement. He had the opportunity to use his existing woodwork skills and got involved with various tasks and learning new skills. We worked on his CV via phone call/video chat on his days off from placement and kept in touch weekly with both Barry and the employer to make sure all was going well. This was made a little bit more difficult due to the fact this all happened during Covid 19 restrictions. It was clear when we got to the halfway review of the placement that Barry was doing extremely well and had settled in with no problems at all. Barry completed his placement with glowing reports and was offered a part time contract of employment which he snapped up.

Barry’s life has seen lots of ups and downs, drugs being a big part of this.

“I asked for support as I was determined to change things. I turned to my family, saying I wanted to change and thankfully they got behind me. Having my family behind me, really good support from social work and various organisations, really helped me to move forward and make the changes I needed to. “

“This opportunity has been life changing. It’s put me back into normal civilization and I don’t feel like an outcast. I am happy to say I am drug free, feel much fitter physically and my confidence has grown so much. Being in work is keeping me busy and focused. I now have a routine, structure, I am part of a team, I feel valued and I don’t feel like an outsider now.  I really enjoy the work and am really thankful to have been given a chance and the opportunity to get back into work. I feel proud of what I have achieved so far and now look forward to the future.”

A representative from Craiglee Timber Frames said: “As an employer we are passionate about breaking down barriers to employment and we are privileged in that we are able to offer opportunities to those who face multiple employment barriers. Barry started with us as a work placement, before progressing onto being a full time member of staff. He has shown that through commitment, effort and hard work,  anything is possible. We are absolutely delighted to have him as part of our team and he is a very valued member of staff. I hope his own personal story inspires others to realise their potential and go for it! We also hope that this gives other employers the confidence to work with agencies who support those back into employment.” Barry is now a full time member of the team.

To read about this and other case studies from our 2020-21 annual report visit our impact page here.