Becoming an apprentice at 57! Andy's experience with Scope's Support to Work programme

Rosie_Scope

Andy discovered Scope’s Support to Work programme after losing his job. With his adviser's support, he found employment again.

Read Andy's full story on the Scope website.

I was initially positive about the redundancy, believing I could find something new.    

However, I soon discovered that applying for jobs had become more complicated. Being in my late 50s and unable to talk, I had to accept that there were many jobs I simply couldn’t do.   

By January 2022, after applying to various roles without getting interviews, I was feeling quite low. I was very conscious of saving the pennies from my redundancy payment.

“I ended up on the Scope website and saw information about your Support to Work programme.”  

I was getting sick of the constant bombardment from job sites like Indeed and LinkedIn. So, feeling desperate, I did a search for any inspiration on Google. Eventually, I ended up on the Scope website and saw information about the Support to Work programme, which supports disabled jobseekers.  

I had never really seen myself as disabled, just as an able-bodied person who couldn’t talk, so I wasn’t sure if I would qualify for the scheme.   

However, I received a swift response saying I definitely qualified, so I thought, “Well, nothing to lose.” 

“Dawn helped me feel more confident.”

From the first minute, my Support to Work adviser Dawn and I hit it off on a personal level. It was an instant tonic for me, having someone to share my doubts with weekly, and who could focus my energies.

The mentoring helped me identify which skills were appropriate, which needed brushing up, and where to focus my energies. Dawn's advice on job descriptions and interview preparations made me approach interviews differently.  

Soon enough, I started getting interview invites, including one from the PPF for an apprenticeship. Dawn reviewed my application, suggested tweaks, and I ended up getting an interview.   

A week later, I received a magical email asking for a Teams video meeting, and I was ecstatic. I was going to become an apprentice at the age of 57!  

“The personal support of the advisers offers motivation and comfort when needed most.” 

This is just a short extract from Andy's story, so it doesn't all end there! Visit the Scope website to read about Andy's accomplishments after his apprenticeship and find out more about Scope's Support to Work programme:

“Your first port of call should be Scope’s Support to Work programme.” | Disability charity Scope UK