“Ingeus has been very good to me, I feel like a different person now that I am in work."
Kabeya, 40, was a single parent with six children and no experience in paid work when she heard about Ingeus’ Employment Zone programme while visiting London Bridge Jobcentre Plus. Given her circumstances, Kabeya was not confident that she would be able to move from benefits into work, but she made an appointment to meet Malka, an employment advisor at Ingeus’ Southwark office.
Kabeya explained to Malka that with five of her six children now in school, she felt ready to move into work. Kabeya had trained to be a nurse and had undertaken voluntary work in an orphanage in the Congo before she moved to London in 1994, and she told Malka that she was interested in finding work as either a midwife or a care assistant, as long as she could find suitable childcare for her two-year old.
Malka arranged for Kabeya to access the Southwark Childcare Support Scheme, which included the provision of childcare while Kabeya was looking for work and reduced fees during the first six-months Kabeya was in work. With childcare taken care of, Malka helped Kabeya to develop a strategy to achieve her employment goal. Malka showed Kabeya how her voluntary work and experience as a parent gave her many of the skills required to work as a care assistant, and helped her create a CV that focussed on these attributes.
Malka explained the different methods of finding and applying for work in the UK, and Kabeya started using the internet, email and phones at Ingeus’ Job Station to search and apply for suitable jobs. In addition to her regular meetings with Malka, Kabeya attended Ingeus ‘Confidence-building’ workshop and undertake mock interviews with different advisors to ensure that she felt comfortable in different interview scenarios.
Less than six months after joining Ingeus’ Employment Zone programme Kabeya was delighted to accept a position as a care assistant in Tower Hamlets, and Malka supported her during the transition from benefits into work, providing funding and vouchers to cover her travel costs, and helping her to apply for the relevant in-work benefits. Malka continues to keep in touch with Kabeya to track her progress and make sure she has the support she needs in her new role.
Kabeya says, “Ingeus has been very good to me, I feel like a different person now that I am in work. I didn’t know I could access childcare services when I was looking for work, and that was a big help. And it’s good to know Malka is there if I need her, even now that I am working.”