Seeing clearly through tailored support
Restart Scheme steers Rajan in the right direction
Rajan Patel, 32, was referred to the Restart Scheme in Redbridge in January 2022, after being unemployed for a year.
In Redbridge, Maximus is working together with Get Set UK who supported Rajan back into employment.
Rajan had a degree in Optometry from City University in London. For over a decade he worked in the industry in a variety of roles from domiciliary care to managing a major high-street optometrist. 
Just as lockdown began, he started a new role in optometry which meant he was not eligible for furlough pay. Consequently, he had to leave his new employer.
This change gave Rajan the opportunity to revaluate his future career.
When he joined the Restart Scheme and met with his Employment Advisor, Nida Hussain, it was clear he had lost motivation to find work.
Rajan described his position when he joined the Restart Scheme: “When I first joined the Restart Scheme, I was feeling frustrated with my job search, and this was affecting my motivation. The regular sessions with Nida had a hugely positive effect on my mental health as it gave me a goal to work towards with regular meetings.”
Nida described Rajan’s journey: “He joined the scheme with a high level of digital literacy and an idea of where he wanted to go, it was just a case of encouraging him to keep moving in the right direction. For many participants, sometimes the right role does not come straight away, but you need to stay productive in order to be ready for when that opportunity comes.”
Rajan completed workshops on building confidence within your career and created a professional LinkedIn profile to help his job search. These sessions improved his motivation as he began to find new opportunities that were available to him.
Rajan reflected: “Nida was always there to listen to my concerns. When I was offered an interview, we had a couple of sessions to brush up on my interview techniques to make sure I was confident.”
Rajan was keen for his new role to allow greater interaction with customers, and soon successfully secured a role as a delivery driver for a leading online retailer.
Nida explained: “It has been a pleasure to work with Rajan. I am thrilled that he is now back in work with a role that will help him to build for the future.”
