JET Case Studies

Nathan’s story

Nathan* is a 33 year old man who worked for most of his early 20’s in the hospitality industry.  He was in a road traffic accident whilst on holiday when he was 27 and due to an extensive brain injury and multiple leg fractures, he spent over 18 months in hospitals and rehabilitation centres in Jersey and the UK.  He returned to Jersey and lived with his family, with the plan of moving out on his own when he found a job.  Finding a job was a lot more difficult than Nathan anticipated - he wanted a full time job in hospitality as that was what he knew.  He didn’t think his physical recovery would take so long and he struggled to accept that he would never have full power and movement in his right dominant arm and he would always walk with a slight limp (which he was self conscious about, but people who didn’t know him didn’t notice).  He would always need to write appointments down as he forgot things people said. 

After a year of being back on the island Nathan’s confidence in finding work and living independently was very low so he referred himself to JET and completed work trials in JET’s horticulture, french polishing and office administration areas.  He enjoyed the office work the most and struggled with the dexterity and fine motor skills needed in french polishing.  He then started a four month training program in the office administration area and completed work for the ITEX Around the Island Walk, starting with a 2 hour session once a week and building up to 3 half days once his exercise tolerance and concentration gradually improved.  He learnt to touch type (thus improving his dexterity and fine motor skills) and was able to use spreadsheets and databases - his confidence improved working with different people.  His Employment Co-ordinator at JET set up a work experience placement in a large DIY retail outlet for one day a week and Nathan had to develop his employability skills to the next level.  He particularly enjoyed working alongside people of his own age and became known as a practical joker.  Two months later, Nathan was attending interviews and secured a job with a Jersey communications outlet - he’s been there for two and a half years now, with contact from his Employment Co-ordinator every three months (after an intensive eight weeks of graded support on the job), or as often as Nathan contacts them.

Nathan’s completing some evening courses and he moved into his own flat a year ago.

  * Not his real name

DARREN’S STORY

I came back to Jersey at Christmas 2005 after living in England for 11years where I was part of the Kaleidoscope Theatre Company.   During my time with them, I took part in many productions in England, Edinburgh, Hungary and Jersey.   I also auditioned in London for the role of Kate Beckinsale’s brother in the film "Shooting Fish" and got the part which I really enjoyed playing.

I was keen to start looking for work when I came back to Jersey, so I was put in touch with the Jersey Employment Trust who organised for me to have some taster sessions in their sheltered work schemes and also to join their office training room where I helped with the ITEX walk work.

Around this time JET organised for me to have a work experience placement at the Co-op in St Peter which I really enjoyed.   In April of this year they organised for me to have a work taster at the Jersey War Tunnels as a ’front of house assistant’.   It went really well and I got to meet lots of people (mainly visitors).   They liked me and I liked them and they offered me the job.   Since then this season has gone so well that Paul Simmonds the general manager has offered me a job next year.

During this time I made a film with Rebecca Coley called "Jack Blond" which premiered 28th August 08.   I also did interviews with Radio Jersey, Spotlight TV and Gallery magazine!!

Sally’s Story *

From a very young age, we are asked, ’what do you want to be when you grow up’? Throughout our adult lives when we bump into old acquaintances, or meet someone for the first time, one of the most frequently asked questions will be, ’what do you do for a living’? Our employment status plays a huge part in defining who we are and our place within society. Having a job provides us with financial security and a stable routine. It gives us a sense of satisfaction in having achieved something with our day and the opportunity to socially interact. The ability to be able to work, however, is something we often take for granted, or even complain about! At Jersey Employment Trust, we endeavour to enable people with sensory impairments, physical disabilities, learning difficulties, head injuries, mental health problems and those on the autistic spectrum the opportunity to experience all that having a job entails.

My name is Sally and I am a very independent young woman who strongly desires to work and become self reliant. I suffer from a degenerative eye condition, which seriously affects my central vision. I read text at a size 48 font and preferable in bold – any smaller than that and I will require the aid of a magnifier. My condition and limited support through adolescence has disrupted my learning capabilities, but has not hindered my determination to gain employment within an office environment in any way shape or form.

I had already successfully completed a work experience placement with Le Geyt Centre before I was introduced to a new employment support worker. I was about to start on another, more challenging role at a Local Community Centre, working alongside the head receptionist.

Preparing the person before the work placement has even started is a big part of the support worker’s role. This often starts with travel training – ensuring that the person can get to and from work safely and on time. This also gives the person and support worker a good chance to discuss the placement and work through any issues that may arise. We would also discuss what was expected, covering everything from duties to appropriate conduct within the work place.

To help me to make the best of the skills I have, slight adjustments were made. With the aid of my magnifier, support worker and supervisor, I typed important information in point 48 and bold print. This helped with my speed in finding relevant information – extension numbers for example – and gave me the opportunity to continue to develop my I.T. skills.

I had been working at The Community Centre for approximately 5 months before my support worker spotted an advertisement for a part time receptionist in a small counselling office. Through her supporting me with this work placement, she was able to assess my suitability for what appeared to be a tailor made job! My support worker discussed this with me and my Employment Co-ordinator, who agreed that this seemed like a perfect opportunity for me to enter into paid employment. I was very keen to go ahead with this, as I had come to a point where I had started to feel that my work experience was not really getting me anywhere.

Keeping people motivated is a big part of the role of the trust. It is important that the person is kept re-assured that the courses, work tasters and/or work experience that they are doing is actually going to lead somewhere. Establishing a good professional relationship between the support worker and those they are supporting is therefore essential. The person needs to be able to trust their support worker, and understand that the JET team are always pro-active with regards to the person’s progression and development. We often act as a communicator between employee/employer and/or Employment Co-ordinator. Ensuring communication is clear, concise and regular is therefore very important.

The next stage was for my support worker to contact the small counselling office to give details about me, my condition and what JET could do to support me in event of employment. The former manageress at the counselling office was very interested in me due to my valuable work experience within environments that dealt with high levels of private and confidential matters. I updated my C.V. (which is an ongoing process), and prepared a covering letter. I was then called for an interview, and was obviously delighted with this! My support worker and I arranged to meet to discuss dress attire for an interview, interview techniques and run through some typical questions I could be asked. I felt confident enough to attend the interview on my own, however, my support worker did accompany me to the office building to support me through this nerve racking experience.

My application was a success and with my references checked, I was ready to start work a few days later. With some minor adjustments to the diary system to help me work quickly and efficiently, the transition was a complete success and I am now a valued member of the team. I have now worked in this role without support for over eight months and love it.

* Not her real name.