1st October 2007

A disabled woman who was convinced she would never work again is earning her living on the end of the phone – thanks to Remploy working with Manpower, the organisation that provides staff to work in many of BT’s contact centres across the UK

Carol Prigmore is now back in a job she knows well, providing frontline support and advice to customers at BT’s Warrington call centre, which ranks as one of the company’s largest in the country. Carol began her career working with BT, and so it’s fitting that following an extended time out of work she’s now back with the telecoms giant.

Remploy is the UK’s leading provider of specialist employment services for people with disabilities and health conditions, and works with many of the country’s top employers to ensure that disabled candidates are considered equally when vacancies arise.

Carol, who lives in Padgate, has clinical depression – a debilitating illness that, at times, has led to a breakdown in self-belief and complete lack of confidence. Whilst she experienced redundancy twice, she knew that with three children to support, she needed an income. More than that, she wanted to work as she saw it as a means of regaining her self-respect. She embarked on a course in confidence building and job seeking organised by Remploy, which helped her identify the range of skills she had and demonstrated to her that she would be attractive to potential employers. Remploy knew that Manpower was recruiting on behalf of BT for people with Carol’s experience, and she was immediately given the promise of an interview.

“I was full of nervous anticipation and, to be fair, it was a very stringent recruitment process!” she said. Carol need not have worried – she was appointed there and then, and has just been presented with Manpower’s ‘Advisor of the Month’ award. What’s more, she is now climbing the career ladder and is coaching her colleagues on BT’s products and services. “I’ve found a job and an employer that takes time to understand my disability, and whilst I realise my depression can strike at any time, most days I just can’t stop smiling!”

Archive