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Lucas was working with Shannon at Invest, and referred to STEP2Work after he left college (doing Brick laying and not enjoying it). Lucas was lacking work experience and wanted to do Step2Work to get into construction in a different trade, however, he was unsure what one.
“I realised construction wasn’t what I wanted to do”
Lucas completed our STEP2Work programme and completed teamwork tasks, met employers, gained a first aid at work qualification, and completed a work placement on a local building site with the groundworks team. Lucas enjoyed his placement working with new people, however decided construction wasn’t for him and wanted to look at roles in hospitality.
“I am happy to now be at college and working”
He applied for hospitality services at college and was accepted for this. Towards the end of programme Lucas went on an employer visit to Nando’s which Lucas enjoyed and made think about in getting a job in Nando’s as it seemed a great place to work. Following the end of formal training Lucas was keen to get a hospitality job to go alongside college. He worked with a Project Worker weekly to apply for roles which he persevered alongside getting prepared for starting college.
An opportunity at Nandos came up and Lucas jumped at it, applying and securing an interview.
Lucas has started college and was successful at interview with Nando’s. He is now working part time alongside college. Lucas is really enjoying this so far!
‘The course helped me realise construction wasn’t what I wanted to do and look at different options, and I am happy to now be at college and working’- Lucas
Jonathan was referred to Barnardo’s Works by Alan Morris at SDS. Jonathan has spent some time with SDS trying to build his confidence and get used to meeting his advisor at the Russell Institute. Jonathan also lacked experience and qualifications. To continue building his confidence, Jonathan started working with Lynsay on our Head2work programme.
Jonathan completed Head2work, during this he took part in a variety of group sessions, completed a money management qualification, and attended multiple activities across Renfrewshire and Glasgow. His attendance was very strong (turning up for every session, always on time) and he applied himself well to this course. Because of this, Jonathan progressed onto our Step2Work programme.
‘Barnardo’s Works got me a job’
On Step2Work Jonathan played a key part in group sessions, gained a first aid at work qualification and met employers. Jonathan continued to attend every session and always approached each day with an open mind and wanting to do his best.
In May 2025 we had an open day to show off our new premises and showcase our service to partner organisations. Jonathan played a key part on the day, telling partners (and even one of Barnardo’s directors!) all about our courses and his experience, this was great to see and really highlighted the progress Jonathan had made.
Following his training on Step2Work Jonathan then completed a 3 week work placement with WH Malcolm in Linwood where he helped out in the warehouse.
Following programme, Jonathan continued to engage with our service weekly, and since started a job in B&M.
Jonathan is enjoying this so far! 😊
‘Barnardo’s Works got me a job. Job done!’ – Jonathan
Jaymie joins our North Ayrshire service having completed an apprenticeship in youth work and helping to run youth clubs across Ayrshire.
Jaymie will be reaching out to young people through the community animation team and providing one to one employability support.
We met Isla after she contacted us about getting support to get into work. She had left school at 16 and struggled with self-confidence. This made looking for jobs and preparing for work an anxious experience which negatively affected her mental health. Isla had some idea what she wanted to do and a couple of ideas for employment but needed a bit of help realising her ambitions.
“Barnardo’s support has been invaluable for her progress and future job prospects”
As Islas primary focus was on gaining employment we worked with her to create a CV in the first instance. We then set about finding out what Isla was interested in and asking her to consider the types of jobs she would do and then where to look for those types of jobs. Isla did great working on this in her own time and later we identified opportunities together she could apply for and would be happy pursuing. We worked on techniques with Isla to control her nerves and made sure she had appropriate attire to dress for upcoming interviews.
“Isla has really came a long way in such a short time and seems to be really enjoying it”
Isla had identified the nearby Riverside Lodge Hotel as a potential place to work as her cousin and friend both worked there already and had encouraged Isla to apply in the past. Barnardos visited the Riverside Lodge hotel and met with the General Manager and after a short meeting we established a potential opportunity for Isla to work in the restaurant. After a bit of interview prep beforehand, Isla overcame her anxiety and did very well at an interview where she was offered a permanent part time role in the restaurant. She’s now been working there for 4 weeks and has been gradually increasing her hours which shows great progression and underlines how well she has performed. She is now considering supplementing her waitress work with a Hub International training programme for Hospitality in order to expand her skillset and learn new job requirements in different parts of the industry
“Isla has really came a long way in such a short time and seems to be really enjoying it. Barnardos support has been invaluable for her progress and future job prospects. When she’s happy I’m happy and I couldn’t be prouder of her” Islas mum
“Its been great to see Isla come out of her shell and alongside support from Barnardos work hard towards her goals. She is more confident and despite the short timeframe is already more capable in applying for jobs or attending interviews, something she didn’t think she could do a few months ago. She’s done great and its been very rewarding for me helping Isla to achieve her goals” Barnardos Project Worker
