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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.”

Catharine Revill was 21 when she joined DurhamWorks Empower course, having deferred from university as a result of mental health concerns. The objective of the course is to provide young people with support regarding their wellbeing and providing aid for their next steps in life. It was for this reason that Catharine believed the course was well suited to her needs.

One of her main hopes was that the course would provide her with more confidence while also gaining support when it came to finding work or training opportunities.

Catharine’s main goal was to engage in discussions more, which her provider, Olivia Cummings, was confident could be completed on the Empower course. By the end of the course, Catharine felt she was in a better position to find employment or training for her future.

Olivia described Catharine as having “worked really hard in sessions, she used the content to work on her own mental health. Catharine’s confidence has really grown and her coming to all the sessions is an amazing achievement. Catharine is working hard to find her next steps by engaging with the one to one sessions. She has been a wonderful addition to the cohort.”.

Since beginning the course, Catharine has realised that her mental health is not a barrier to finding employment and has begun implementing mindfulness exercises to lower levels of anxiety.

When describing the Empower course, Catharine said,

“I would encourage people to do the course if they want help with managing their wellbeing and looking towards employment or next steps for their future.”.

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.

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.”