“I’d been out of work for months and feeling ‘down in the dumps’. But things have changed through Future You. On my first day I was really nervous, I hadn’t been out of the house for a while, and I was anxious meeting new people, but the project team were all very upbeat and gave me a lovely warm welcome, so I started to feel comfortable straight away.”
That’s what Kyrah told us about her first day on the Future You Telephone Skills and Call Centre training course she attended for 2 weeks in early February. For Kyrah, a single parent who was struggling to find work, getting involved in Future You with the help of Working Gateshead has boosted her confidence and her job prospects.
The course
John Pearson-Grainger from Citizens Advice Gateshead, who’s been leading the Telephone Skills and Call Centre Training course for Future You, knows how important it is. “Confidently talking on the phone is a key life skill as well as a job skill, and people often find it challenging because of a lack of experience or self-belief. Many conversations, such as first interviews, are now carried out over the phone, and call centre work is becoming a prominent source of employment for people in the North East region. So we wanted to do something to help people who’d never done it before to have the basic skills and knowledge they need to compete for jobs when they’re advertised”.
Kyrah is highly complimentary of the training. “The instructors had great energy, they were very supportive, and they made sure they were giving me the information in a way that I understood and felt comfortable with. I think it was very well organised and incredibly useful. My confidence was very low at the beginning, but everything I learned and the people I met, worked wonders!”
A guaranteed interview leads to a temporary job for Kyrah
New skills are not the only thing that Kyrah has gained from the course.
Anyone who participates in the telephone skills training with Future You is guaranteed an interview with Citizens Advice Gateshead who employ over 100 call centre staff of their own to deliver national advice contracts including the Consumer service and the national Citizens Advice helpline.
After Kyrah’s interview, she was over the moon to be offered a 4 week temporary job with the charity’s marketing team, and she is now hoping to apply for a longer-term role with the charity in the future. She’s also keen to look into volunteering to help her to develop further skills which she’s sure will also help to improve her job prospects.
“I never thought that a quick chat at my local community centre could turn things around so quickly for me. I can’t wait to see what happens next!”
If you would like to find your wings through Future You call 0191 300 3900 to chat to a member of our friendly support team, or email support@futureyougateshead.org Find out more information about Future You and the many other activities on offer at www.ourgateshead.org/future-you
