ELEISHA LEARNS THE BASICS OF BUSINESS THANKS TO THE ADULT EDUCATION BUDGET

Published 8 July 2022 at 3:07pm

Eleisha, 23, had been living in supported accommodation in Sheffield after leaving her role as a domiciliary care worker for health reasons.

She had been out of work for a few months and her health problems meant she was finding it difficult to get back into a positive routine. Eleisha needed a bit of extra support to give her the motivation she needed to start looking for work again.

Support provided by PET-Xi

PET-Xi works with a variety of different supported accommodation providers in Sheffield to help its residents improve their employability.

Eleisha first came across PET-Xi when it started a ‘pop-up shop’ at her accommodation, and thought working with PET-Xi would be a good opportunity to try and learn new skills.

She was visited by Kendall Clark, contract manager at PET-Xi, at her supported accommodation to give her one-to-one mentoring to boost her confidence and her motivation, and deliver a ten-day IT Skills course.

Eleisha said: “I was a little nervous about taking a course as I thought it might be like being back at school where I struggled, but Kendall and everyone on the course was really good at explaining things without being patronising.

“Kendall was able to change my mindset towards looking for work and improving my life. I had been stuck in a bit of a rut since I left the care sector but I could see this was my way out of it.

“I ended up doing surprisingly well on the IT course, which gave me the confidence to try and earn some more qualifications.”

Kendall then invited Eleisha to take part in further Level 2 courses at PET-Xi’s offices. She was enrolled onto Level 2 Team Leading and Customer Services which she took across a 10-day period.

This was not easy for Eleisha as she struggles with anxiety – but the buzz of doing so well on her IT course gave her strong motivation to complete further courses.

Eleisha passed Team Leading and Customer Services easily, and has now moved out of her supported accommodation and is now working with a mentor at the Prince’s Trust to develop a cosmetics business.

Kendall said: “Eleisha was fantastic during her time with us – she took to the courses really well and by the end was actively helping her peers taking the courses with her.

“It’s great that she has been able to move out of her supported accommodation and now has the confidence to get herself back out there. Eleisha has come so far in such a short space of time, and we will continue to support her while she looks for further work and grows her business.”

Outcomes

Eleisha is now regularly seeing a mentor at the Prince’s Trust to learn about the basics of business and develop her ideas, and credits PET-Xi with helping her want to improve her situation.

She said: “When I was in my supported accommodation, I wouldn’t have a good reason to get up early so I’d often sleep in, and I was very de-motivated to change what I was doing.

“It was great that Kendall came into my accommodation initially to speak to me, and after seeing her a few times and passing the IT course, I realised I was more capable than I thought. It was a big thing for me to physically go into PET-Xi’s offices to take more courses, but I did it despite my anxiety because I knew how useful the experience would be.

“Now I feel like I’m in a great place to get back on track with my life, and I’m enjoying learning about how to build a business with the Prince’s Trust. I have to thank PET-Xi and especially Kendall for their support – they really were a huge help for me.”

Together we work as one

The Level Up programme was funded by South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority, and helps 19-24-year-olds across Sheffield who are not in employment, education or training find work.

About the Adult Education Budget

The Adult Education Budget (AEB) provides residents in South Yorkshire who are aged 19 or over and not in employment, education or training, with access to free skills support and training programmes. The support can help you to secure work and build a career in some of our key sectors, such as manufacturing, healthcare, logistics & transport, construction and retail.

Through the AEB, our employed residents can also take part in skills development programmes and training that may help you to progress in an existing job or move into a new career, traineeship, an apprenticeship or progress in your learning.

The programmes offered through the AEB are completely free of charge to the learner and are delivered by organisations that have been carefully chosen to provide the highest quality training. This includes Further Education colleges, local authority training providers, independent training providers and voluntary, charity and community associations.

For more information visit southyorkshire-ca.gov.uk/AEB-provider-directory