We are unique in the way that we have a social enterprise that gives real life experience to young people, 50% of whom have no experience at all. They then work closely with our job coaches to overcome their barriers to employment and with our corporate partners to understand many new sectors of work they may not have been aware of before.

Case Studies

Allarna’s story

Allarna joined Circle Collective in 2020 and has been a part of the training program for almost a year. 

I joined Circle after finishing my education and was looking for a job. I was unsure at first because I did not know anyone. I also joined during COVID, so things were a bit different. 

After meeting everyone at Circle Collective, the staff are very friendly and supportive and willing to help in any way they can. The other people on the program as well allowing me to meet new people who are experiencing the same situation and learn about them and their talents as well. 

“Circle has given me the confidence to know what I would like to gain from a job.

The experience from training and advice is given on how to prepare for the world of work, from working on the shop floor to interview experience. I have come out of my shell a bit more since being at Circle Collective and learned from any mistakes I made. I have learned a lot of new things that I can apply to my job and my life skills. 

Circle Collective is a great place to come and learn, if you need help, support and even someone to listen to you. If you are stuck and you’re not sure where to start, then try Circle Collective because I recommend them to you if you’re reading this. Thanks to everything that Circle Collective has done alongside me, I was able to get a job after a successful interview.  I have now joined the team at Circle Collective as a Sales Advisor, which I found through the Kickstart scheme. I am happy to work alongside an amazing team and share my knowledge with others. To be a part of this community and being a part of the charity has been a great opportunity and fun experience for me. I am happy that there is more to come. 

So, if anyone reading this is thinking about finding a job but needs help then I recommend you ask about the program and ask any question’s you may have. Then join if you feel this is the right place for you to start because there is no harm in trying as I have learned from being at Circle collective. Rejection is a process we go through before we get the words, yes, learning to embrace that. 

Abraham’s story

Circle Collective has been a huge support for me when I was low on confidence in applying for jobs. 

I’ve been helped formally with CV work, bolstered by inspiring talks, and seriously supportive insights in 1 to 1s with Seyda and Shabina my job coaches.  I have been given opportunities to connect with companies. Supported and understood mentally and emotionally with the wellness Wednesdays and the sense of community fostered by the opportunities to share situations and discuss with other young people. 

I found that working at the shop was a new challenge as I have never worked in retail before. I was quite intimated at first, but my job coach Seyda encouraged me and gave me some useful tips and I’ve never been more grateful for that. The shop staff were also very helpful, they all encouraged and reassured me when I needed help. I’ve always been confident coming from an acting background however, after working at the shop, it furthered my confidence skills and I have been able to effectively communicate with a range of different people and the general public. 

“Being a part of the programme has overall been a huge improvement in my life as well as gaining employability skills and a job, I’ve gain invaluable life skills that will continue to help me in my career. I now work as an actor at the globe which has always been a dream of mine and I truly believe the confidence I built at Circle Collective is a large reason for that. I enjoyed my time on this programme.”