Building back confidence
Job success for Yivwananji
After being unemployed for more than 10 years, Yivwananji Simwanza, 36, joined the Restart Scheme in Greenwich in March 2022.
In Greenwich, Maximus is working with Greenwich Local Labour and Business (GLLaB) and with their help, Yivwananji was supported to return to work.
As a stay-at-home parent, Yivwananji had been focused on raising her two children. Prior to this, she had a varied work history, after graduating from the University of Wales with a Law degree and working in legal practices, to working as a team leader at a large London music venue.
She was initially concerned about explaining the employment gap on her CV to potential employers. She was unable to obtain any valid professional references, which left her feeling anxious and doubting her abilities.
When she joined the Restart Scheme and met her Employment Advisor, Tamanna Ali, she was reassured that they would be able to help her back into employment.
In addition to the regular sessions she had with Tamanna, Yivwananji also received support from Global Solutions Services, a specialist employability provider. This support included employability webinars and confidence-building sessions.
In their sessions together, Tamanna helped Yivwananji with job search and interview techniques to help her effectively prepare for future interviews. Yivwananji had never applied for jobs online and therefore improving her digital literacy was a priority.
Through this support, Yivwananji was able to boost her confidence and update her skills. After four months on the scheme, she successfully secured a role as a Technical Administrator with Greenwich Council in June 2022.
Yivwananji started the new job in September, and credits Tamanna and the courses for helping her overcome her initial barriers to employment.
She described: “Without the support and guidance from Tamanna, I would still be struggling to find a job. She really went above and beyond in our meetings to help me feel confident.”
