POPULAR local councillor Qurban Hussain starts his dream job on April 28, when the national charity and its partners launch a powerful benefits to work programme across Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire.
Qurban will be in the front line in Shaw Trust's three year Pathways to Work campaign to help 6,000 local people on Incapacity Benefit to achieve work and independence, and he knows exactly how crucial that support is.
"I am really excited about my new role with Shaw Trust and the challenges which lie ahead," said Qurban, who lives in
"My area is one of the most deprived in the country and there is a high proportion of people needing extra support and encouragement to get off benefits and into work."
Qurban joins a team of people, who also include Steve Watkins, the Manager of the Shaw Trust Support Centre, which will be the first point of contact for people accessing their delivery of the Jobcentre Plus-managed programme that Shaw Trust is also providing across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight and
"I wish I'd had Shaw Trust's help when I was desperate to get back to work," said Steve Watkins, whose life was shattered when a motorbike accident left him paralysed at 18.
"Now we will be helping thousands of people find employment and that's really very special."
Carolyn Taylor, Jobcentre Plus District Manager for Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire said: "With the support of Shaw Trust, Pathways to Work will provide extra help for people on incapacity benefits - disabled people and those with health conditions - to find work. It makes a real difference to people's lives and will help those in Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire to manage their health conditions better and further support a route out of unemployment and back into work."
Shaw Trust, which provides employment services for people disadvantaged by disability, ill health or social circumstances, is already running Pathways in
"I am really excited about Pathways, which is a fantastic opportunity for our clients," said Shaw Trust District Manager
"Shaw Trust has already supported over 38,000 into jobs under the New Deal for Disabled People Job Broking programme and we will see over 21,000 get work over the next three years in these three new districts alone.
"We are pleased to be working with Condition Management Programme specialists Argent and in partnership with long-standing local providers Seetec. A wide range of expert organisations and employers are also joining forces to provide the best possible service to our clients."
* Call the freephone Pathways hotline on 0808 180 2003.
QURBAN'S STORY
WHEN it comes to experience, dedication and expertise Qurban Hussain is not only Shaw Trust's ideal candidate, he is also first choice for the people of Luton.
For more than 20 years he has worked with voluntary organisations to help people gain the skills and confidence they need to find work.
Qurban, who lives in Luton with wife Shamim and five children, has also enjoyed a long career in local politics after being elected to office for the first time 12 years ago.
"I am really excited about my new role with Shaw Trust and the challenges which lie ahead," said Qurban, a local Councillor representing the Biscot area.
"My area is one of the most deprived in the country and there is a high proportion of people needing extra support and encouragement to get off benefits and into work.
"I have dealt with many disabled and disadvantaged people who have little hope for the future and who have lost their self esteem. I help encourage them to improve their lives by building their self confidence and gaining new skills.
"They can only unlock their potential with the right support, but then they can improve their lives, achieve independence and enjoy some security and a better future."
Qurban, who speaks three languages, also recognises the added difficulties that can be faced by the town's ethnic minorities.
"Communication is very important as we have a large Asian population and there is a higher number of unemployed people and higher percentage of disabled people among those ethnic minorities," he said.
"Although
Qurban first worked with a voluntary organisation in
When he moved to
"I am looking forward to working for a larger organisation like Shaw Trust, which has the resources and support to help people on a much larger scale," he explained.
"There is no other job that gives me the enormous satisfaction of being able to help people like this and I'm looking forward to the challenge ahead."
STEVE'S STORY
STEVE Watkins had won the battle to get back to work after a motorbike accident left him paralysed, but he was aching for a new challenge when an astonishing twist of fate changed his life.
"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," explained the 33 year-old father of two, who working as a team leader in a bank call centre at the time.
"I could have written the job description myself. It was exactly what I wanted: to help people achieve their potential in every way possible."
In six years with the national charity, Steve has shone in a number of roles, including Personal Advisor and Key Account Consultant, but now he has his ultimate dream job as Support Centre Manager.
His 17-person team will be the first point of contact for people accessing Shaw Trust services across all three districts. The team will include initial contact advisors, job match and in work support officers and back to work advisors, who will also provide benefit calculations.
"I wish I'd had Shaw Trust's help when I was desperate to get back to work," said 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.
At 18, Steve was living life to the full, working in the motorbike shop which had given him work experience when he was at school, and competing round the country when the accident happened during an off road competition.
"That landed me in a wheelchair, paralysed after breaking my back," said Steve.
"I actually managed to get back to work, in a different role with the same company, in six months, but my back wasn't strong enough. I had a number of operations over the next few years and got the go ahead to try working, by which time I was climbing the walls with boredom."
He started as an agent with the call centre, and rose quickly to become Team Leader, adding to his role by taking on the responsibility of encouraging recruitment of people with disabilities, but it wasn't enough.
"I needed a new challenge and Shaw Trust has provided that in spades. What's more, they lead by example. When constant use of my hands meant that I developed a form of arthritis, I had to have six months off work and at first I couldn't drive.
"Shaw Trust simply found me a new role until I was ready to move forward, just as they advise employers in their Staying in Work Service," said Steve.
"They help people to realise that anything is possible, with the right support and everyone is passionate about what they do."
Steve is making the move from Neath for his Support Centre Manager job. "My new role is a wonderful opportunity to help other to 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."
NOTES TO EDITORS
1. In addition to delivery partners Seetec, Shaw Trust is also working with Emago, Dering Employment Services and the RNIB.
2. Seetec is an
3. Shaw Trust is also partnering with Argent who will be offering a Condition Management Programme, which is focused on supporting those in Pathways on incapacity benefit with anxiety, stress and depression, along with physical pains such as back pain or heart problems. The programme equips people with knowledge, coping skills and peer support that will enable them to gain and sustain employment whilst living with their health condition.
4. 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
5. 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.
6. For further details, please contact Sharne Halliday on 07967 661129 or you can email: crucialpr@shaw-trust.org.uk
