SHAW Trust champion Steve Watkins starts his dream job on April 28, when the national charity and its partners, including Jobcentre Plus, launch a powerful benefits to work programme across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.
As Pathways to Work Support Centre Manager, the 33 year-old and his team will be in the front line in Shaw Trust's three year campaign to help over 8,000 local people on Incapacity Benefits to achieve work and independence, and Steve knows exactly how crucial that support is.
The father of two's life was shattered when a motorbike accident left him paralysed at 18. "I wish I'd had Shaw Trust's help then, when I was desperate to get back to work," said Steve.
"Now we will be helping thousands of people find employment and that's really very special."
Steve is moving from his home town of Neath to head up the support centre which will be the first point of contact for people accessing Shaw Trust's delivery of the Jobcentre Plus managed programme, which will mean over 21,000 new jobs for people across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight; Berkshire, Buckinghamshire & Oxfordshire and Bedfordshire & Hertfordshire.
The charity, which provides employment services for people disadvantaged by disability, ill health or social circumstances, is already running Pathways in
Shaw Trust Pathways District Manager Jan Kilburn-Lee said: "Shaw Trust has already supported over 38,000 into jobs under the New Deal for Disabled People Job Broking programme and we are delighted to be extending our services in Hampshire and the
"We are pleased to be working with Condition Management Programme specialists Argent and in partnership with long-standing local providers West Country Training and Portsmouth Craft and Manufacturing Industries. A wide range of expert organisations and employers are joining forces to provide the best possible service to our clients."
The team will help over 8,000 people in Hampshire and the
"I wish I could have had their help," said Steve, whose twin daughters, Kassy and Kristy, were just six months old when he came off his bike during an off road competition.
"I was desperate to work," added the former motorbike shop manager who was on IB for nearly three years.
"I'd never written a CV or applied for a job in my life before. I wrote 50 letters and got one interview," recalled Steve, who got the job as an agent in a bank call centre, rising to team leader within a year.
Six years ago, he got a job with Shaw Trust after an astonishing twist of fate: "I was tidying up the kitchen one evening, tossed a newspaper in the bin and - I know this sounds cheesy, but it's true - it landed upside down, and there was a Shaw Trust advert staring me in the face.
"I could have written the job description myself. It was exactly what I wanted, to help people achieve their potential in every way possible."
Steve has been with Shaw Trust for six years, starting off as a Personal Advisor and gathering experience in a variety of roles before he was appointed Hampshire's Support Centre Manager.
"It's a wonderful opportunity to help other people transform their lives," he said.
"The Centre is in the front line. Our initial contact advisors know that when they pick up that phone, the caller may have started dialing five or six times before gathering the courage to make the call.
"The message is that, when they do, they will get the best support in the world. It's wonderful to be part of that."
* Call the freephone Pathways hotline on 0808 180 2003.
NOTES TO EDITORS
1. In addition to Condition Management Programme deliverer Argent and delivery partners Portsmouth Craft and Manufacturing Industries and West Country Training, Shaw Trust is also working with Dering Employment Services, the RNIB and Enham Business Ability Trust.
2. Shaw Trust, which worked with over 60,000 people nationally last year, already has a strong presence in the area, where it has been operating since 1993. Projects include several programmes for people with mental ill health, Workstep, the Community Café at Leigh Park, Shaw Trust Horticulture Basingstoke and
3. Managed by Jobcentre Plus, Pathways provides extra help for people on incapacity benefits to find work, using a holistic service that includes support from highly skilled personal advisers, groundbreaking NHS rehabilitation support, a Return to Work Credit of £40 a week, and in-work support.
4. For further details, please contact Sharne Halliday on 07967 661129 or you can email: crucialpr@shaw-trust.org.uk
