Cumbrian Bus Driver’s Success Story Praised In House Of Lords
A Cumbrian woman has been praised in Parliament after overcoming employment barriers to secure a job as a bus driver.
Jennifer, who has learning difficulties, secured employment with Stagecoach after receiving personalised interview support through the locally delivered Connect to Work programme. The initiative is designed to help people facing complex barriers to employment, providing individual support aimed at helping them enter work and remain there once they have secured a position.
Jennifer’s experience was highlighted during a House of Lords debate about the working age welfare system. Baroness Sherlock, minister of state at the Department for Work and Pensions, used her story as an example of how tailored employment support can help people overcome difficulties that might otherwise prevent them from entering the workplace.
The minister explained that Jennifer’s case demonstrated the importance of providing support beyond the point at which someone secures employment. She said Stagecoach regarded Jennifer as a valuable employee, while Connect to Work could continue supporting both the individual and employer to help ensure the necessary assistance remained available.
Baroness Sherlock described Jennifer’s journey as one of several examples she had been given while considering the issues surrounding the working age welfare system. She said the approach should involve working with individuals to understand what they most want to do and then providing appropriate support to help them achieve that goal.
The Connect to Work programme is backed by £11 million of Government funding secured by the Cumbria Combined Authority. Within Cumbria, the programme is delivered by Enterprising Cumbria, while Inspira acts as the lead delivery partner for the initiative and its employment support services.
The programme is intended to provide personalised assistance for people who face complex barriers when trying to enter employment. Jennifer’s experience has been presented as an example of how that support can help someone move from struggling to find work into a permanent role with an employer.
Will Stuart, partnerships and integration manager for Connect to Work, said Jennifer’s story was a strong example of the purpose of the programme. He welcomed the fact that her experience had been recognised in Parliament and highlighted the wider importance of support around both employees and employers.
Mr Stuart said getting someone into employment was only one part of the process. He explained that continued support surrounding the individual and employer could make a significant difference, particularly for people who might otherwise struggle to get through the recruitment process and into the workplace.
He also praised Jennifer for her progress and said her experience demonstrated what can happen when the appropriate support is available. Her journey from struggling to find employment to becoming a bus driver has now been highlighted as an example of the potential impact of targeted assistance.
Jennifer also spoke about her own experience of trying to find employment after receiving support while she was at college. She said that once that period of support ended, she struggled to find a job and felt there was a gap in the assistance available to people in her position.
She explained that joining Connect to Work provided the help she needed during that difficult period. Her experience ultimately led to her securing employment with Stagecoach, where she is now working as a bus driver after overcoming the barriers that had previously made finding employment difficult.
Jennifer has since encouraged other people who may find themselves in a similar position to consider the support available through Connect to Work. She described the programme positively and said she would highly recommend it to anyone who had experienced similar difficulties when trying to secure employment.
The recognition in the House of Lords has placed a local employment success story within a wider discussion about the support available to people of working age. Jennifer’s case has been used to demonstrate the potential benefits of personalised assistance rather than a one size fits all approach to employment.
For Connect to Work, the story also highlights the importance of continuing assistance after someone has found employment. The programme’s role can extend beyond helping a person secure a position, with support intended to help individuals and employers address challenges that may arise once someone has entered the workplace.
Jennifer’s progression into bus driving has therefore become an example of how employment support can help people facing significant barriers move towards sustainable work. Her experience has now been recognised at Westminster, with the programme’s partners highlighting the importance of ensuring people receive the right assistance to achieve their employment ambitions.
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