Deaf siblings in control of their future after help from Aspire to Be in Doncaster

It would not be easy. The siblings only moved to Doncaster last year and were struggling to find employment.

In October, during an appointment at a job centre, they asked about support to gain new skills to assist their job search. The job centre recommended Aspire to Be.

Elise and Jamie are both deaf and have a voice. Aspire to Be is a specialist service from Doncaster Deaf Trust that helps adults with learning disabilities and other difficulties gain life skills and employment.

Aspire to Be works with referring agencies such as local authorities, housing associations and job centres to provide people with a holistic programme incorporating education, employment and employability sessions alongside health and wellbeing support.

Elise and Jamie were invited for a tour to meet staff and learn more about the service. Various sessions are provided by Aspire to Be, including on topics like CV writing, interview techniques, job search activities and work experience opportunities. There are also sessions on fitness, healthy eating, budgeting and confidence building.

"We attended the confidence and motivation sessions that helped us realise we were in control of our future," Elise said.

"We worked alongside two coaches, Brian and Simon. They supported us by explaining transport links, like the bus and train timetables. That helped us to be more confident travelling to and from the Trust and meant we were less dependent on our mother taking us.

"The work coaches also helped us with our CVs and took the time to learn about our skills and what type of work we would be happy to do. We were taught what the expectations would be in a workplace, how to search for a job and how to prepare our applications."

Those new skills helped both Elise and Jamie reach their goal.

"An interview was arranged for us with Next Distribution and I am glad to say we were successful and started this month!" Elise said.

"We cannot thank the Aspire to Be team enough for all the help they gave us to get to this point. They are very positive in all they do and challenge you to do more.

"They are an amazing team with a five-star rating. I would recommend the service to people who are deaf and/or who have other learning or communication difficulties."

Gez Naylor, work and wellbeing coach at Aspire to Be, said: "We were so pleased to be able to support Elise and Jamie to gain new skills and achieve their goal of employment.

"In the short time we have known them, they have both grown in confidence and everyone at Aspire to Be knows they each have a bright future ahead of them."

Individuals can self refer to the Aspire to Be service and are encouraged to get in touch if they are looking for help and support.

To learn more about Aspire to Be, visit the website www.deaf-trust.co.uk/employability/aspire-to-be/introduction

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