Each day was exciting and new so I tried to help and learn as much as I could. I had the opportunity to visit different teams such as Tax Credits and Compliance to see what they did which was absolutely brilliant, this was one of my favourite experiences.

I left my previous job 3 years ago and was extremely motivated to find a better job. I knew it would be hard as I’m originally from Czech Republic, without any previous experience and English is my 2nd language. I‘ve always known “as one door closes, another one opens” and that’s what kept me positive.

Whilst at the job centre, I was offered the opportunity to join the Movement to Work (MtW) programme based on my wish to work in an office. After a few days I was contacted by HMRC with details of the programme.

I began my MtW placement with the amazing CAT team in Regian House Liverpool. I was nervous at first but once introduced to the team, led by Jane Breen, I knew this programme would be an amazing experience. Everybody on the team was very friendly and helpful, I felt very welcomed and at home.

The first few days consisted of educational courses to help get to grips with the job. Every Monday I was part of the team meeting, here I saw the teams goals and achievements. I listened to conference calls across the different teams, and every day helped the team with their job. They explained their roles and walked me through the various systems used. I’d help with paperwork, sending parcels – I also learnt how to use Microsoft Excel and Word.

I finished the programme after 4 weeks, I’d never experienced such a lovely and inclusive programme as MtW. Everybody was very helpful and all encouraged me to do more, as I built my confidence. It’s nice to be able to speak different languages, but when working in a new place you have to learn the words used. The MtW programme gave me great confidence in my English ability.

People may not think about considering MtW, working for 4 weeks for free – I was paid in knowledge, experience, courage, self-esteem and especially the privilege to have a future job in HMRC.

I was successful during a recruitment trawl and am now part of a Debt Resolution Team (DRT) in Regian House, Liverpool, I began my role here after submitting competencies and being interviewed. My experience with HMRC is very positive, I’ve been given opportunities to learn new things and develop personally. I’m wanting to work towards being a part of the leadership team in HMRC and I’m being supported to achieve that goal.

The programme really helped build my confidence and skills. It gave me experience in a full time work environment. Traveling to and from the office every day was something that took a bit of getting used to.

Nicole fully participated in her placement and had the opportunity to have work experience in Openreach, BT Fleet, Wholesale and Venture and volunteered at Salford Food bank as a BT volunteer. Nicole’s experience included fundraising and organising the event at the food bank.

Nicole successfully completed her placement with us and the following week was invited to an apprenticeship assessment centre. Nicole was successful at interview and started employment with BT as a full time Advanced Finance apprentice with our Stockport Team.

Nicole said: “The programme really helped build my confidence and skills. It gave me experience in a full time work environment. Traveling to and from the office every day was something that took a bit of getting used to.

During my work experience I was involved in organising charity events for the local food bank and visited the BT Fleet team. These experiences definitely helped me get through the interview, and skills I have used since becoming a full time Advanced Finance Apprentice. The support from the onsite coaches was great, they helped me with interview preparation and my CV. I was struggling to nail my CV and with Michelle’s support I got it right! The BT team were brilliant and always there to help”

“It felt fantastic to come straight out of the course, into a full time job and then go on to compete in International competitions like the World Gin Day. The owner of Gin 71 took a chance on me and I’m so glad they did. Every day is different and there are always new challenges, new customers and new skills to learn. It’s a really friendly industry to work in and my work colleagues are like a second family to me!”

David was unemployed and wasn’t sure what he wanted to do with his career. Having had a series of jobs which hadn’t been suitable for him including working as a gardener for the council, he started applying for jobs in different sectors.

On reflection, he realises he wasn’t selling himself fully as he wasn’t fully committed to the role. He had also been going to the Job Centre regularly to see what jobs and opportunities might be available to him.  The Job Centre Plus advisor informed him of several workshops and courses coming up that he could apply for. Amongst I.T and cookery courses, the advisor mentioned the Diageo Learning for Life programme.

The hospitality focus of the course appealed to David more than any other industry, and he could see himself thriving in the hustle and bustle of that environment. He arranged to meet with Inga McVicar at The Springboard Charity, Diageo Learning for Life’s delivery partner, who told David all about the course and he felt inspired to join the programme.

David said: “The course sounded really interesting and I knew I would enjoy the mixture of classroom based and on the job experience. The fact that we were going to get an official qualification really appealed to me too, as well as the work experience placement. It was the opportunity I had been looking for.”

David says, “The training was an intense experience, and staying focused throughout was a challenge. However the fact that we were constantly learning different things every day kept it really exciting. We then instantly put the skills we were learning into practice and that really helped me. With other courses, it can be a year before you’re actually in the job using the skills you’ve trained in.”

“I really liked all aspects of the course and I enjoyed the written work as well as the practical. The industry visits showed us that there was more to the hospitality industry than working behind a bar – there was a host of other places you could work such as a Drinks Company, a Brewery, and Distilleries or in Hotels. I enjoyed the insight into these different industries, it really was an eye opener to the world I was about to enter into.”

The Springboard Charity’s course Programme Manager asked David where he might like to do his two week work placement and David requested somewhere with a lively environment. David was placed at Gin 71/Cup Tea Rooms in Glasgow City centre and instantly loved the hustle and bustle of the establishment.

The programme helped him define what David wanted to do and gave him the focus he had been missing and gave an insight into the industry. It showed him how much he would enjoy the industry and provided David with the confidence he required to get a job in the industry after graduation.

An unexpected benefit of the course was the Programme Manager keeping in touch after David had graduated. He was also asked to work at a Diageo sponsored drinks reception at The Springboard Charity 25th anniversary event at Wembley.

“I would definitely recommend the programme to my friends. It’s a great experience, even if you don’t get a job straight away, you gain qualifications and the invaluable two weeks work placement. I would encourage anyone that is interested in Hospitality to find out about Diageo Learning for Life courses in their area. I knew after three days on the programme that I wanted to do this for a living.”

David is now Bar Manager at Gin 71/Cup Tea Rooms in Glasgow, a tearoom by day and dedicated gin bar by night. After doing his work placement there, he was offered a full time role as daytime floor staff.

After 1 year of working full time as floor staff David was promoted to Bar Manager. David has also represented Gin 71 in the World Gin Day international cocktail competition where he competed against five bars around the world chosen as finalists. His creation, the ‘Irn Bro’ impressed the judges and he was awarded the top prize.

Rachel developed a back problem whilst working in a greengrocer and had to leave. She applied for other jobs but was rejected because of her back condition. After five years of unemployment, at 24, she started doubting her abilities, lost self-confidence and gave up looking for jobs.

Fortunately Rachel commenced a Prince’s Trust ‘Get Into Hospital Services’ programme, delivered in partnership with The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust. During the four-week programme Rachel undertook work experience in a variety of office environments within the hospital, growing her skills and confidence.

Her enthusiasm led to her being invited to a successful interview as a therapies administration apprentice. Rachel lacked confidence at first but interacted well with patients and colleagues.

She said: “The department became like a second home to me. In fact, I spent more time there than at home!” As part of her apprenticeship Rachel undertook her Level 2 NVQ in Business Administration.

After completing her apprenticeship Rachel was offered a role as an administration assistant within the therapies team, gaining promotion to acting PA to the therapies managers.

Rachel said: “I don’t know where I’d be now if I hadn’t done the Prince’s Trust programme, it’s changed my life into a much happier one. I’m much more focused and I’ve got a reason to get up in the morning. I went from nothing to an apprentice in the NHS and now I’m acting up as PA for five therapy centre managers”.

“And to employers I would say don’t write off anybody for not having the right qualifications, you never know what was behind them not achieving in that one small way. And it gives people like me a further determination to succeed against all odds.”

Anastacia Jamfrey, 29, from County Durham, is a project manager at BAE Systems, the defence technology manufacturer. But this job wasn’t an obvious outcome for Anastacia if her early life was anything to go by.

“When I was a child and went to other people’s houses I was amazed to see carpets and curtains, they seemed like a real luxury to me,” said Anastacia. “My parents split when I was two and education wasn’t a priority. Primary school went ok though, and so did the first years at secondary school but I started getting bullied by people in my class.

“The result of that was that I started hanging out with people who were older than me, the wrong crowd. I more or less stopped going to school and then the next thing I knew I was drinking in the park at 13. And then I was pregnant at 15.”

This is something we hear frequently at Movement to Work, young people driven away from education by bullies. The education system must get better at handling this. Especially when, in later years, many people and potential employers are to ready to blame the victim for missing out on their education.

Anastacia attended school so rarely that she was not put forward for many of her GCSEs when the time came. But she did manage to pass GCSEs in English, business studies, IT and RE. Of the last one she said: “I was good at subjects where you could argue!” In fact, Anastacia took her last GCSE two days before giving birth to her son. “Over the last few months before the exams I really decided to focus on the them, and oddly enough being pregnant helped with that, though I wouldn’t recommend that strategy to others!”

Anastacia was really worried about her future. She was suffering from post-natal depression and also had to think about training and working whilst caring for a baby. She did a level 1 qualification in car mechanics but childcare was too difficult to manage for a level 2 qualification. She applied to join REME, the army’s mechanical and electrical engineers but her history of depression meant that she was deferred. Her attempts to find roles in car mechanics were not successful, and she was even advised at a Job Centre to look for ‘women’s jobs’ and not where her interests were, in engineering.

Anastacia found a job as a cleaner and after this role went on to apply for a role at the Department of Work & Pensions, working in customer service. This led to another role in customer service, working in an eLearning company, where she took full advantage of the training available and gained some level 2 qualifications. However, she was again struggling with depression and was unable to continue as her employer would not support her through her illness. Eventually she left and decided to move to Lancashire to be with her new partner.

It was here that things changed for the better, and through the Job Centre there Anastacia was offered a Movement to Work placement with BAE Systems. “I was amazed to be selected at the assessment day,” she said. “I learnt so much and got work experience in quality assurance. At the end of the placement I had to speak about my experience in front of an audience, part of the selection process for those people that BAE wanted to employ.

“I was so nervous that I cried but I did manage to say that I’d be there, talking to the new cohorts on the Movement to Work scheme the next year! I am constantly reminded of that confident statement, despite my nerves at speaking, by my managers. But it paid off. I was offered a sub-contractor role training to be a quality engineer, providing assurance support to internal and external suppliers.”

During this time Anastacia was keen to progress and successfully applied for a two-year business management apprenticeship at BAE. She is now a project manager working on projects, for example, on replacing the use of hazardous chemicals and materials with alternatives. She is keen to do a project management degree and has cleared one hurdle, her lack of GCSE maths, and hopes to be able to take up that course as soon as possible.

“I want to be a project management director,” said Anastacia, “That’s my aim. But the message I want to send is don’t let anyone tell you what you can and cannot be. Do your best to get work experience and decide for yourself what you want.

Shajida was raised on an East London council estate in one of the most deprived areas in the country where almost half of the borough’s children live in poverty. And yet just a stone’s throw away, she grew up in the shadows of the skyscrapers of Canary Wharf, a hub of banking, wealth and commerce. Growing up, she never visited the city, nor did she ever think that she would work the area.

Shajida is a second-generation immigrant, being raised in a conservative Bangladeshi family, she never imagined she would grow up to be an engineer.  Her family’s traditional attitude towards education and work meant that she felt restricted at times. Entering the male dominated world of technology was not her parent’s preference. However, she continued her pursuit eventually winning her parents over, she has inspired her younger sister who now attends after school code clubs.

Prior to MTW, she was unemployed and looking for a sense of direction and opportunities aside from university.  She became aware of the MTW programme through her local youth centre and was keen to gain some practical, real-world experience.

Having completed MtW, Shajida secured a full-time job at Accenture as a Software Engineer after the apprenticeship programme which made her the first in her family to get a degree and to work in the corporate world.

Following a successful placement Shajida was subsequently promoted from Apprentice to an Analyst while completing her degree in Technological and Digital Solutions. Over the last three years she has contributed to the delivery of large-scale technology projects and has worked as a project manager on key client projects. Shajida is responsible for overseeing the DevOps scope on projects – creating build pipelines, automating deployments, running workshops on DevOps, scripting and setting-up tools, managing deployments for large global client projects across different industries.

Over the years she has expanded her technical skills in areas such as project management, Scrum and DevOps and other new technologies. She has been responsible for managing external and Accenture teams as well as chairing team stand-ups.  She has excelled in building relationships across the organisation and has been involved in mentoring young people.

She remains one of the key ambassadors for the MTW and the Accenture apprenticeship scheme. Shajida has attended several career fairs, employability skills sessions and panels where she has enthusiastically shared her experiences with students and responded to their queries.

Shajida has been instrumental in motivating women to apply for our technology apprenticeship, an area where we have traditionally struggled to attract females.

Shahida  has seen many awards; since undertaking her MtW placement Shahida has been named Accenture Apprentice of the Year,  ‘Rate My Apprenticeship’s Most Outstanding Higher Apprentice’ and most recently she was named The Institution of Engineering and Technology’s Apprentice Young Woman Engineer of the year’.

She is a valued member of her teamand has been credited with independently automating aspects of deployments and maintenance saving at least 0.5 FTE/month in effort reducing errors. Shajida joined with no background in Capital Markets or Calypso application but has picked up these skills and has learnt many aspects of the application like installation and maintenance of application on the job in less than 3 months and is now very much conversant in Capital Markets and calypso technologies.”

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Describe in as much detail as possible, what you did on your work experience programme and what you learnt:

On the work experience programme, the first two weeks consisted of training in Java, UX and app-testing as well as  acquiring knowledge on how to behave in a workplace. We worked in groups and completed ‘Skills to Succeed’ training. The last two weeks entailed working in a small group of 4 to fix and test a rugby app (rotating roles and opting a new project manager every day) then presenting back to a group of Accenture employees.

How did the experience and staff help you?

The experience as a whole was beneficial because I’m able to apply some of the skills I acquired, in my current job role as well as Exams such as Java. The staff were very welcoming and supportive – still in touch with a couple.

What did you most enjoy about the programme?

Presenting to a group of people that I didn’t know and having the project management role for a day – Both were challenging, giving me a huge boost of confidence and making me come out of my comfort zone.

What are you doing now for work?

The Go Tech programme became the platform for me to apply for Accenture’s apprenticeship programme. I’m currently working for Accenture Digital ADLM. My role here is mainly focused on planning the development of an Eccomerce website with the team, maintaining servers in different countries, doing support work and providing any necessary training materials to others.

Describe in as much detail as possible, how the programme changed/affected your life:

The programme gave me the skills to apply for the apprenticeship. We received advice from Accenture’s recruitment team and undertook mock interviews with them, receiving useful feedback at the end. I also learnt to work well with people I had just met, which now benefits me as I’ve been on 3 different projects in 10 months so have met new people every step of the way.

In as much detail as possible, what are your plans for the future?

Finish the next two years of the apprenticeship programme, graduate and carry on at Accenture for a few years doing technical architecture. Would like to develop my own games app one day too or teach coding to others.

What would you say to someone who was thinking about trying the programme?

I would tell them to grab the opportunity by both hands because whether they’re not interested in technology or want to pursue a career in technology, the experience gained in the programme can be applied everywhere. It’s a great opportunity to test yourself and also meet people interested in the same field as you but from a completely different background.

James completed Diageo Learning for Life Bartending & Hospitality Course in Inverness. He had previously had a promising career as a footballer and was signed to play with a Scottish team when he suffered a terrible leg injury. This, sadly, put an end to his football career and he found himself looking for other opportunities.

He also had an interest in hospitality and was accepted to join the Diageo course. He was awarded a HIT Scholarship and gained experience at Drake and Morgan in London.

Currently working as Trainee Manager in a busy restaurant and bar in Aberdeen, he has recently completed the Diageo Alumni Ambassador training and is looking forward to sharing his experience, passion for hospitality and dedication to Diageo and Springboard with future beneficiaries.

James is planning to gain experience so he can work towards being a hospitality trainer (hopefully with Springboard) in the future.

Shannon joined BAE Systems on one of their very first Movement to Work cohorts following a period of unemployment and, in her own words, the programme changed her life and gave her a chance when she didn’t feel like she had anywhere else to turn.

After completing the 4 week Movement to Work programme run, and getting excellent feedback, Shannon decided that BAE Systems might be somewhere that she would like to work and could calve a career for herself.

Shannon applied for BAE’s extremely competitive Apprenticeship programme and utilising the skills, experience and self-confidence that she gained during her experience on Movement to Work, she excelled and was offered a place; this, however, is just the beginning of a story of fantastic success and sheer resilience that is to be admired.

Graham joined the Renaissance Manchester Hotel following a 4 week unpaid placement as part of a Get in to work programme for Care leavers supported by Care 2 Work.

Marriott worked in partnership with NCAS to provide a very successful academy to help young people who were leaving a care setting to prepare themselves for employment and provide employability skills and a structured work experience programme.

Graham was only 18 and had never worked previously but shone during his placement in our front office and we offered him a role as Switchboard operator on a full time basis. During the first few months the hotel worked closely with Graham and Care to Work to help him settle into a new way of life, living independently and integrating into full time employment.

Graham had a sensible and professional outlook and soon it became clear that he had a natural talent for hospitality and he soon moved to front desk where he completed an NVQ level 2 in hospitality through our work place training provider.

After 5 years Graham was encouraged to take on a supervisory role in our front desk team, training and coaching new team members and running shifts, supervising reception, concierge and the switchboard associates.

The following year Graham enrolled on Marriott’s Essential Skills for Supervisors and Managers and at around the same time he was promoted to Senior Supervisor for the front office department.

This role is critical in supporting the manager in the smooth running of the department but also being a senior person on duty within the hotel operations on certain shifts. Graham has really made the most of the opportunities he has been offered to develop in front office and has truly grown in confidence over the years.

I feel like the only way is up from here as I know now I don’t want to be anywhere else. IBM has not only given me a life changing opportunity but has been supporting me throughout my journey. Looking longer term I would love to eventually progress onto an apprenticeship once the time is right and once I have more insight into possible roles at IBM.

I initially started out my career at IBM as an Ignite trainee which means I spent 4 weeks as part of a team gaining skills to help me on my journey in the big bad world of employment. IBM partner with a charity called City Gateway for the Ignite scheme so trainees start off preparing themselves at City Gateway by doing group exercises and mock interviews and other readiness activities before coming to IBM’s assessment centre.

I still remember being terrified thinking IBM would be a huge place with security guarding every door and not a smile to be seen anywhere around. I was pleasantly surprised once I saw how friendly and welcoming everyone was.

I didn’t want a job at IBM at first as I thought it was a place purely for technical people however during my 4 weeks I became a lot more aware of just how huge IBM was. They literally had a place for everyone! However, that wasn’t what made me want to come back, it was more the people around me that changed my decision and made me work super hard to get noticed so I could come back somehow. I had an amazing team, mentors and made great friends during my 4 weeks so I really did not want to let that go.

During my time at IBM I was introduced to a range of different tasks that I had never come across before. A lot of the work was very Excel based, however I quickly picked up new skills. As part of the program I was assigned mentors, who were key to my success on the Ignite program and really helped me reach my full potential, which I still appreciate and keep in touch with. I was also able to slowly build up my network whilst I was an trainee and many of my contacts are still engaged and helping me now. The programme was not just a work placement, but we also had days which were focused on the development of soft skills, such as back to base days including an escape room which really helped me come out of my shell and work as part of a team!.

Once my placement was close to coming to an end I was informed there was a position on a Short Term Placement program, (6 months) which would allow me to come back to IBM and possibly move further in my career. I remember Helen delivering the news to me and I’m pretty sure I jumped into her arms to give her a hug. As much as I wanted to come back I never thought I would get the chance and hearing how impressed everyone was with me during my placement and how they wanted me to join IBM as an employee actually made me shed a tear or two.

I returned to IBM a month after my work experience placement had finished and hit the ground running. I knew this was not an opportunity that I wanted to waste. Within my first 4 months at IBM I received even better news from my manager that she had approval to extend my contract and move me onto the Futures scheme (1 year programme).