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Dani struggled to find work for 18 months. Her anxiety hindered her from seeking support and job opportunities, and prolonged unemployment fuelled her depression, creating a vicious cycle of self-doubt and isolation.

Seeking assistance from DurhamWorks, Dani received tailored support to address her challenges. As Dani struggled in job interviews, they revamped her CV and provided interview preparation techniques.

As Dani’s confidence grew, she became more engaged during sessions, thanks to the support and encouragement from her advisor.

Despite ongoing struggles with anxiety and depression, Dani’s journey with DurhamWorks led to significant improvements. She now volunteers at a mental health charity, finding positivity in supporting others.

“It’s helped bring back my positivity. I now know what I want to do with my life!”

Dani Transcript

Abigail faced overwhelming anxiety upon starting university to study English Literature. Struggling to cope, she dropped out and turned to DurhamWorks for support.

Abigail leaned heavily on her mum, disliked phone calls, and found using public transport too difficult, hindering her independence and career prospects.

DurhamWorks helped Abigail gradually tackle her fears, including navigating public transport and attending sessions by herself.

With support, Abigail gained confidence, and landed a job in a bookshop. She’s now on track to pursue her dream of becoming an author.

“I thought it’d be like school, but it’s nothing like that. Your worker is more like a friend who wants to see you do well and be happy.”.

Mariia was referred to DurhamWorks as she had recently relocated to the United Kingdom from Ukraine and she wanted support searching for a job and updating her CV. Mariia also wanted the opportunity to improve her English.

With our support, Mariia gained full time employment at Maximo’s restaurant in Castle Eden as a front of house assistant as well as attending college. 

Speaking about Mariia, Dave at Maximo’s said, “Since joining our team Mariia has integrated superbly into our way of doing things, long may it continue!”.

Speaking about her experience with DurhamWorks Mariia said “It was interesting and helpful. The workers of DurhamWorks worked quickly and responded to my requirements and questions. After our search and efforts, I found a job that I like.”

Lorna Heaps joined the Empower program in an effort to raise her self-confidence and become more proactive with regard to her future. At age 20, Lorna deferred from her university course believing her disability to be a barrier to both her learning and future employment and so joined the Empower course in order to receive support for these concerns.

When describing these lessons, Lorna stated “it’s okay to be worried but you will be looked after and will learn a lot about yourself as well as the world you live in. So give it a go!” The course was also described as being a good pace for her, encouraging self-reflection over the barriers she has experienced in the past.

Since her completion of the program, Lorna has undergone multiple courses including ‘Understanding Autism’ and training to become a teaching assistant with a guaranteed interview with North East Autism Society.

The course provided by DurhamWorks, ranging from one to one sessions with her provider, Olivia Cummings, to studying different types of content has given Lorna the freedom to decide which direction her life goes without feeling hindered by her disability.

When describing Lorna’s journey in the program, Olivia Cummings said,

“It has been amazing to see Lorna grow in confidence and have a clear focus in what she would like to do. I know Lorna will be able to inspire others in her future endeavours and roles. She has been a wonderful addition to our cohort!”

If you are 16 to 24 or know of someone in that age range who is looking for support on their journey into education employment, training or an apprenticeship contact DurhamWorks.

DurhamWorks is a dedicated program for young people living in County Durham offering one to one support from dedicated members of the team. DurhamWorks helps young people to get the skills and training that they need to find a job, apprenticeship, become a volunteer or even just progress their learning. All this support is provided free of charge.

Article by DurhamWorks client, Dylan Stoddart.

Electricians, plasterers, civil engineers and business administrators are among more than 40 apprenticeships roles on offer at Durham County Council.

Applications are open now, with a closing date of Sunday 21 May, and successful applicants will take up their posts in September.

The apprenticeships are open to people of all ages and backgrounds, from school leavers to career changers.

Cllr Richard Bell, the council’s deputy leader and Cabinet member for finance, said: “We’re delighted to launch this recruitment drive for our latest intake of apprentices.

“Apprenticeships provide people with a great pathway into employment and enable people to earn while they learn.

“We’ve recruited more than 400 apprentices since 2017/18 and have built a strong national reputation in this field.

“Last year, we were one of only two councils to feature among the UK’s 100 best apprenticeship employers by the Department for Education.

“This ranked us in the same bracket as a number of FTSE 100 companies and all kinds of other famous businesses and organisations.

The full list of apprenticeships on offer is as follows:

• Building repairs and minor works technician x 1
• Digital and data support technician x 1
• Civil engineering x 1
• National landscapes x 1
• Programme, planning & quality x 1
• Plasterer x 1
• Civil engineering degree x 2
• Civil engineering estimating x 1
• Quantity surveyor degree x 1
• Housing management x 2
• Leisure team member x 9
• Joiner x 1
• Electrician x 2
• Lift technician x 1
• Community activator coach x 4
• Heating engineer x 1
• Lift engineer x 1
• Surveyor x 2
• Procurement degree x 1
• Financial business administrator x 1
• Human resources x 1
• Financial management x 1
• Learning and development x 1
• Corporate fraud and internal audit x 1
• Business administrator x 4

Applications can be made through the North East Jobs website: www.northeastjobs.org.uk.

For further information visit: www.durham.gov.uk/apprenticeships.

“It also recognised the diversity of our apprentices and the number who successfully achieve their apprenticeships.

“We’ve got some great opportunities on offer here and people can help us get the word out there by passing on details to anyone they think might be interested.”