Making a firm impression
Richard proves age is no barrier
Richard Moult from Mansfield has thanked the Restart Scheme for helping him to secure a job at Mansfield District Council.
Richard was referred to the Restart Scheme, which is being delivered in Nottinghamshire by our partners Futures, in October 2021.
Richard, 65, had been out of work for two years due to his health conditions. Prior to this, he had worked in various roles in trades, labour and construction.
Richard said: “I’ve worked since I was 15 years old. Just being sat at home was demoralising. Every day was the same, there was nothing new and I didn’t have to get up for anything.”
Richard was determined to get back into employment.
When Richard embarked on his journey with the Restart Scheme, he was on the lookout for lighter work due to issues with his knee. He also believed his age would be a barrier in getting back into sustainable employment.
He highlighted these concerns to his Employment Advisor Craig, who put a plan in place to help Richard to overcome his barriers.
Richard didn’t have a CV so Craig helped him to create one. He also focused on improving Richard’s job searching knowledge by teaching him how use job search websites.
Craig and Richard discussed the roles he would be interested in, and Craig supported him to look for these and apply.
Richard began securing interviews and was helped by Craig and the team to prepare. Unfortunately, Richard didn’t get the outcome he had hoped for. However, the team encouraged him to keep going and kept his spirits up when he was discouraged.
Further on in his Restart Scheme journey, Richard attended a Jobs Fair in Worksop with the Futures engagement team. He was given support and encouragement in his approach with employers, one of which was Mansfield District Council.
The engagement team then organised a recruitment day in collaboration with Mansfield District Council to recruit for a Street Cleaning Operative. On the day, seven participants attended including Richard. Following a positive discussion with the authority, Richard was offered a role upon completion of a taster session.
Richard successfully completed the session and having made a firm impression, he was offered the role.
Richard started his new job as a Street Cleaning Operative in April.
Richard said: “Thank you to the Restart Scheme for the help and support. I am so grateful for the encouragement and support I received. I’d never been to an interview before. Craig talked me through everything, and it gave me a lot of confidence.
“I am really pleased. I love my new job, it’s a role I’ve been interested in for a while. I didn’t think I’d get this post, being 65, I thought it would be a young man’s job. But the Restart Scheme and Mansfield District Council assured me that age is no barrier.”
Francine Rowley, Talent and Skills Adviser at Mansfield District Council, said: “Working with DWP and the Restart Scheme has given Mansfield District Council an opportunity to reach out to jobseekers in a less formal way. For some people interviews, form filling and looking for employment can be daunting and off-putting.
“Richard was able to get a feel for the role by joining us at the depot and doing some practical activities before talking to us about his aspirations and skills. From that initial chat we knew he would fit in well and he has since become a valued member of our team.”
