Dylan was on the right path into employment when the pandemic knocked him off that path. Like so many young people during the last year, Dylan’s confidence took a hit in the face of the looming youth employment crisis.
However, with support from Venture Trust’s employability programme – Change Cycle – Dylan has built up his CV and his confidence. He is back on track to furthering his career.
Last year he was working as a football coach and being offered exciting opportunities to continue coaching for the club in Kuwait. Dylan was thrilled to be offered these opportunities and felt excited about his future. It was such a big disappointment when Covid-19 restrictions made it impossible for him to go to Kuwait or continue coaching with the club.
It didn’t take long for Dylan to start developing habits that would make it even more difficult for him to find a job.
“I was out of work and getting into bad habits. No getting up on time, sleeping in, and not feeling good about myself. So having the chance to come on the programme with Venture Trust really helped with my confidence and helped me get into a routine, which was the main thing I was struggling with. Change Cycle helped me so much in that way. That was my main goal joining the course – getting routine and structure back into my life. So that was really good.“
Venture Trust’s employability team have adapted their delivery and support during lockdown which meant despite restrictions, were able to step in at the right time to support Dylan and other young people build the skills needed to get back on track. Firstly, helping with his CV.
“They helped me with my knowledge, the dos and don’ts for job applications, helped me make sure I’m well prepared. They especially helped me with my CV – changing it for each type of job so it was relevant for their sector. My CV before was really broad and Change Cycle helped keep me to the specifics.”
Like many young people, Dylan felt nervous to meet new people after spending almost a year in isolation. This impacted how he felt about himself and his confidence, which is something he wanted to tackle when joining the course.
“As well as building my CV, I was looking forward to meeting new people on the Change Cycle course. I always get nervous to meet new people, and especially with Covid I hadn’t seen anybody in ages. It was good to meet other people also trying to find work and see the challenges they are facing.”
Change Cycle runs in partnership with Bike for Good in Glasgow and The Bike Station in Edinburgh, which provides young people with training on how to maintain bikes and offers the chance to take home a bike of their own to help them travel to job interviews.
“It was really interesting training with Bike for Good and learning about how many people they help. Learning about all the bikes that get reused, recycled and given back out to the public. It was really inspiring. I didn’t know anything about bikes before, but they’ve gave me good tips on how to look after it. It’s a massive bonus, so I’m trying to get out on the bike as much as I can to stay active.”
Towards the end of his time on the course, Dylan was successful in an interview with Achieve More Scotland, and will begin employment as a Youth Worker, delivering sport and wellbeing workshops in schools, in April 2021. He is thrilled to not only find employment, but to find something he loves to do that builds on his existing skills in this area, hopefully leading to a successful career.
“It’s the stuff I enjoy doing which is great. Sometimes it doesn’t actually feel like you’re working. You enjoy it and seeing the kids develop is brilliant.”
No matter what happens in future, Dylan doesn’t worry about looking for work again as he knows he has the skills under his belt to apply himself.
“Change Cycle has definitely changed the way I feel about applying for jobs in future and 100% the course could help other people looking for work. The course builds confidence and gets you talking to people. The staff are brilliant and the fact that you get a bike at the end of it makes it even better. I enjoyed the experience and would recommend it to anyone else looking for work.”
Change Cycle is ideal for young people aged 16-24 who are not in work, education or training, facing long term unemployment and/or disadvantage.
To make a referral or for more information, email our employability team at changecycleinfo@venturetrust.org.uk
