Martin* from Hamilton joined the Fair Start Scotland service in April 2023 after being unemployed for two months. He had previous experience working as a Project Officer and Supervisor in the electrical engineering industry.
Martin, 33, received support from his dedicated Key Worker, Judith Amoah, who helped him identify his barriers to employment and the support he needed. Martin felt a lot of pressure to return to work as a father to four children, with his wife heavily pregnant with their fifth child.
As a household, they were struggling with a lack of income and Martin was worried about how he would provide for five children under five years old. Judith provided Martin with food bank vouchers and referred him to one of our Community Partnership Network (CPN) members, Hamilton Food Bank.
This relieved some of Martin’s worries and allowed him to dedicate more time and effort to his job search. Martin attended employability development sessions to help identify his transferable skills, as well as a jobs fair to meet with our account managers to discuss regional positions that may be suitable.
In June 2023, Martin successfully interviewed secured the role of a Care Worker with a local provider.
Reflecting on his experience, Martin said: “Judie keeps in regular contact to make sure I have no problems. It feels like people are checking in on me to make sure I’m doing ok, and it feels good to know that Remploy are there for me if anything goes wrong.
“I really like my job and enjoy being able to provide for my family.”
*Name anonymised at participant’s request
