Heather comes a long way after 10 years out of work.

Why Heather joined Fair Start Scotland

Heather was unemployed for over 10 years due to health and mobility problems. She suffered from Fibromyalgia which caused her immense pain and fatigue. Heather also had to overcome her anxiety and depression which all contributed to her struggling to get back into employment.

How Fair Start Scotland helped

When Heather joined Fair Start Scotland she met with her Key Worker Stephen, who was eager to help her overcome her mental health barriers so that she could be more confident in being in a work environment again. Stephen booked in regular appointments in Dunbar with Heather which focused on her confidence, employability skills, CV writing and interview skills.

Each of their meetings were influenced by Heather focusing on what she was struggling with. She was shown how the working environment had changed through work trials. Stephen looked at the transferable skills she had that could be used in her CV.

Heather was invited to attend an interview at Enable Scotland, Musselburgh for a personal assistant role. Stephen gave her interview techniques and role play so that Heather knew what to expect. She successfully secured the job where she now supports two clients in two different houses. She went through comprehensive training with Enable and works 24 hours per week.

Heather absolutely loves her job and said: “it has totally changed my life and I feel so much more confident, I’m happier and more outgoing,. I’ve met a lot of nice people and made some new friends,

Having the extra money each month allows me to do so much more and I can now plan holidays and go out more to socialise with family and friends.”

Heather’s long-term goals are to continue working for Enable and to keep learning new skills. She still receives in-work support from Triage and is more than happy for this to continue.

Heather said: ‘I feel that Triage has really helped change my life and I couldn’t move into a job with Enable without their help, training and support they provided.’