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TESTIMONIALS

Over the last few years, we have run a number of retail and customer service courses targeted at individuals of all ages, who were unemployed, faced significant barriers to employment or looking to change career.

The courses were structured around a pathway of confidence building, employability support, accredited training, interview prep and mentoring matching. It was then followed up with a 2-week work experience placement with major recruiting employers. These courses enjoyed a high rate of success with the mass majority of participants securing employment.

Hear from some of our success stories below:

Marise Corrigan

Marise had been unemployed for a long time while she cared for her son who was unwell. She had been applying for lots of jobs but either got no acknowledgement of her application or didn’t succeed at interview. Marise felt her CV wasn’t up to scratch and that she needed some recent work experience to showcase her skills. The Bright Lights course taught Marise how to be more assertive and brought back the confidence she had lost from being out of work for so long. After completing the two-week work experience placement on the course, Marise was offered a full-time position in retail.

Michelle Reid

Michelle had spent the 18 months prior to the Bright Lights course volunteering. She really wanted to secure paid employment in retail, but her lack of retail specific experience prevented her from getting a job. The team at the Fort Kinnaird Recruitment and Skills Centre helped Michelle to get her confidence back and provided her with the skills she needed to secure paid employment in retail such as time planning, customer service skills and communication skills. Michelle was kept on at B&M after her placement there and recently found out she has been made permanent.

Oliver Kenny (Kenny)

Oliver joined the Bright Lights course in October 2019 after doing various different courses at college. Oliver struggled with anxiety which affected his confidence. The Bright Lights course really helped him gain the confidence he needed to secure paid employment. He now works at Curry’s PC World as a Sales Colleague.

Jai Fitzpatrick

Jai took part in the August 2019 course of Bright Lights after leaving college. He had been feeling really down after a bereavement and described himself as being ‘in a rut’. The Bright Lights course gave Jai a sense of purpose and gave him the training and experience he needed. He completed a work placement with Odeon Cinemas and was kept on as a paid employee at the end of it. Jai had previously struggled with interviews due to his ASD diagnosis so the opportunity to take part in a work placement and show his skills was great.

David Smith

David had spent a lot of time volunteering but struggled to secure paid employment in retail. He wasn’t sure where to start in terms of job searching and putting together a CV. The Bright Lights course gave David the support he needed to apply for jobs and increase his self-esteem. He learned how to delegate and interact with people in a retail setting. After his placement with Odeon Cinemas, David was fortunate enough to be kept on as a paid member of staff.