Success Stories

A4e supports thousands of people every year through a range of front line services, from helping people find long-term employment to accessing legal aid.

Many of the people, partners and employers we work with have found success in a number of ways. Here, they talk about working with A4e.

Iris’s story	Lee’s story	John’s story
Farzam’s story	Anna’s story

Pride and Confidence Book

“Pride and Confidence” is A4e’s Little Book of success. In it, you’ll find true, personal success stories by Sarah, Geoff, Aida, Jonathan, Helen, Christa, Rebecca, Anissa, Charlie and Claire!

Click below to view some success stories in our pride book.

Iris’s Story – From Unemployment to Outstanding Worker.

When Iris Massisiany first came to Amin as an unemployed single mother of two, she never dreamt that she’d soon be given the accolade of ‘outstanding worker’.

Iris came to Amin (A4e’s centres in Israel) after being made redundant from her previous job as a cleaner. Being the sole provider for two children, she was extremely anxious about being out of work.

Through Amin, Iris enrolled on a number of courses to increase her employability. She particularly enjoyed a Marketing and Management programme. When the opportunity arose to work for a local supermarket, she was apprehensive at first, wondering if she had the right skills. But after some encouragement from the staff at Amin, and from her children, she jumped at the chance.

Today she is working as a cashier and is appreciated for her high standard of customer service. She says:

Iris has even received thank you letters from satisfied customers, and was recently chosen as an ‘outstanding worker’.

Iris’s experiences of being unemployed have made her determined that the same thing won’t happen to her own children. She says:

“The most important thing for them is studying. My daughter puts a lot of effort into her studies and my son will work towards a better future for himself.”

 

Farzam’s Story – All smiles for Farzam.

Farzam visited A4e in Newcastle because he was struggling to find suitable work in the UK after moving from Iran.

Although Farzam ran his own dental practice in Tehran, he needed guidance with his CV and interview techniques before he could continue his career in the UK.

A4e’s staff assisted him in updating his CV, and helped him search for his ideal job. As a confidence-building exercise, Farzam was also asked to deliver a talk on oral hygiene, which was very well received by his colleagues on the programme. Boosted by his new-found confidence, Farzam was encouraged to set his sights high, and was delighted to be selected for an interview with Doctor John Hawksford at Newcastle General Hospital.

After impressing in his interview, Farzam was offered a position under Doctor Hawksford, where he will carry out both oral and maxillofacial surgery. Farzam is delighted that A4e has helped him achieve his dream job

John’s Story

John Wright came to A4e Pathways in Plymouth after struggling to find employment following a period of illness. Watch his story below (it may take a few seconds to load the video).

Lee’s Story

Before Lee came to A4e Pathways, he was homeless and battling drugs and alcohol. Find out how he turned apprentice chef in the video below (it may take a few seconds to load).

 

Anna’s Story – In this day and age the impact of stress can be huge.

Someone with first hand knowledge of this is Anna Rayner who, having suffered stress related illness herself, found the road to recovery with alternative methods such as aromatherapy, crystal therapy, reiki healing and meditation.

Anna responded so well to these that she soon felt ready to return to work after several years on Incapacity Benefit. Anna decided she needed some assistance, so she visited the Disability Employment Adviser at her local Jobcentre Plus, who pointed her in the direction of the Pathways to Work scheme. Their staff encouraged Anna to identify what interested her and with their help she realised that she would like to work in the very field which had benefited her so much – Complementary and Alternative Therapies.

“I was able to access courses in my area and gained confidence working as a voluntary Reiki practitioner treating at the Robert Ogden Macmillan Centre at St James, treating cancer patients and their carers”Just over a year on, and with the continued support of Pathways, Anna has gained relevant qualifications and experience in the areas she is interested in. She says “I was able to access courses in my area and gained confidence working as a voluntary Reiki practitioner treating at the Robert Ogden Macmillan Centre at St James, treating cancer patients and their carers”.

As well as Reiki, Anna is now also qualified as a massage therapist and crystal healer and is delighted to have started her own business offering these therapies at the Milun Women’s Centre and the North Leeds Therapy Centre, both in Leeds 8 and also for the employees of Centrica in central Leeds. “Pathways put me in touch with Business Link Yorkshire when I decided I wanted to be self employed,” Anna adds. “The additional support I have received from them has been invaluable in giving me the determination and information to forge ahead as an entrepreneur.”

But it doesn’t end there; “I’ve discovered I love learning,” says Anna. “So I’m currently also studying Indian Head Massage and plan to follow this up with Aromatherapy, Reflexology, Colour Healing and Hopi Ear Candling in the future.”

Anna highly recommends the Pathways scheme to anyone who would like to be independent of benefits but is worried that it might be too hard to achieve their dream. “It’s really amazing what you can do with the right support; this last year has taught me that you are never on your own and that help is there if you need it, regardless of your circumstances – just go for it!”