Simon’s success story.

Led by interests, guided by support, James’s journey begins. 

James felt passionate about music, theatre and helping people. With this in mind, just two weeks after his session, Mia reached out to his local Tiptree Community Hub, and it turned out they were looking for volunteers and invited James for a taster session! 

Despite his nerves, James arrived early and ready and alongside Mia, they sat down with the Community Hub team to talk openly about what the role involved and what James would need to feel supported. Reasonable adjustments, like flexible start times, access to a chair, and quick breaks, were welcomed without hesitation. The manager said, “James has a confident, bright smile, and we’d love to have him as part of our team.” 

Since starting, James’ confidence has grown enormously. He’s meeting new people, contributing to his community, and developing skills he can proudly add to his CV for future paid work. He commented: “I am enjoying my voluntary job at the Community Hub, it can be stressful, but I feel supported and I like getting out to do something meaningful, and I like the people there.” 

Mia Furner, his Get Set for Work Employee Consultant, commented: “James has such a warm, bright personality, I knew he was going to be able to thrive in a voluntary position where he was supported correctly by a nice group of people. I am so glad we were able to find him just that, and now his confidence has grown so much. He seems very loved by the people at the Hub. I look forward to what James does in the future, I am sure it will be great things!” 

The Get Set for Work programme delivered by Get Set UK on behalf of Essex County Council supports people who are facing barriers to employment, providing one-to-one guidance to build skills, boost confidence and create real opportunities. 

Find out more about Get Set for Work here