Judith Wynne found her world turned upside down when she suddenly fell ill and was diagnosed with a chronic health condition in October 2020. A year later, she was referred to the Remploy team in Perth.
Judith spoke of her difficulties before joining the programme: “What I wanted, more than anything, was to return to work but I didn’t know if I was well enough to do so and how I could achieve this. I had completely lost my confidence and was struggling to manage my condition when I first joined the Fair Start Scotland programme.
She said: “Since my first phone call with the team, I immediately felt supported and relieved that I was no longer alone. I knew that I had finally arrived at the right place and would be given the help that I needed.”
Upon joining Fair Start Scotland, Judith was matched with Key Worker Moray Anderson. They met at the same time every week to help build up a routine and prepare Judith for returning to work.
Judith also met with Regional Account Manager, Amy Wilson, who liaises with local employers to source job opportunities for participants. In line with Judith’s past work experience and her career aspirations, Amy focused on finding suitable roles in administration and supporting Judith to apply for these.
Judith said: “I organised my days as if I was already in work. It was great to have the encouragement and support of both Moray and Amy and I knew they were always there to help me to complete applications.”
Alongside this, Judith attended a development session with Developer Scott Mackay to learn and practice key interview techniques.
As a first step back into employment, Judith secured a temporary role in administration. After 6 weeks in this role, she had built up her confidence and learnt a range of new skills. Through completion of a temporary work placement, Judith was reassured that a full-time position was manageable.
Shortly after, Judith was successful in securing a full-time position with Social Security Scotland.
She added: “It’s now eighteen months since the onset of my illness and I have achieved my goal of returning to work. It is thanks to Remploy that I was able to build my confidence back up and complete my journey back into work.”
