"Welcome to the real world." These were the first words that greeted me as I climbed into my parents' car for the journey back home after graduating with a degree in politics and social policy from the University of Bristol. Although the comment was meant to be light-hearted, it also brought some hard-hitting truths home. What was the next step in my life? A job? Further education? A gap year? All these questions preoccupied me for the rest of the two hour journey home.
I initially tried to reassure myself that the job market wasn't that bad. "The recession would soon pass," I told myself, and all would return to normal in the graduate recruitment market. I could not have been more wrong. Six months after graduating and applying for countless jobs and I was still unemployed and pretty much clueless. Bouncing from interview to interview and coming so close but yet so far really tested my confidence. Not even all the career advice in the world could have prepared me for the bad news of a rejection following another final-round interview.
It was at about this time that the Future Jobs Fund programme came to my attention. The first thing that stood out to me was the word 'future'. I recited it to myself — it sounded refreshing and reassuring — especially as I had spent the past six months worrying about my prospects. After doing some more research into the programme, a scheme that helps young unemployed people into work, I decided it was right for me. It was billed as "jobs specifically tailored for young people — a chance to enhance professional development — guaranteed employment for at least six months". I thought these things would provide me with a sense of stability so I decided to apply to be on the scheme through my local job centre.
I applied for several roles within Circle Anglia, an organisation that provides affordable housing across the UK. Then came the day where I got to know more about the scheme — my interview. This was when I would have the chance to decide if the position was really for me and if Circle Anglia was the right employer. The roles on offer really matched my educational background in social policy and I was able to apply for positions that were relevant to my studies. I think this factor appealed to my interviewers and that I could demonstrate I had an interest in their mission to not just build houses, but to enhance the life chances of residents and communities made me a good candidate. As the interview was drawing to as close I knew I had done well. I could just sense it.
My instincts proved correct when a week later I was offered a role within the sustainable communities team at Circle Anglia as an assistant.
Working within the sustainable communities team has involved tackling many dimensions of social services. The housing sector is one example, where I have been able to learn about policies involved in tackling issues such as the affordability and availability of housing. It is a really interesting department to be a part of as we have a strong focus on addressing the financial inclusion (making sure that residents are supported with their finances) and worklessness of residents.
Another aspect of my role I really enjoy is meeting stakeholders that we work in partnership with to help build cohesive communities which bring people from diverse backgrounds and generations together. One way we do this is through community arts projects. A recent example was Bow: Then and Now, a film that our partner Old Ford Housing Association produced with young and old people from the Bow, East London community. The film explores the lives of locals growing up in the same streets but different centuries and was recently shown at the East End Film Festival. The film is one of a series ofintergenerational projects and inspired an intergenerational boxing club with young people from our Eastside Youth Centre.
I have also been able to shadow many people in their day-to-day roles and learn about the rigour they apply to issues such as employability skills for young people and providing council for residents. I've also been challenged with setting up a mentor scheme for other Future Jobs Fund candidates in Circle Anglia, which is helping me develop creative and management skills.
One of the best bits of the job is the learning and development opportunities. There's never a moment to be bored — I'm learning new skills and valuable work experience in a broad range of areas. My progress during my six month placement is regularly monitored, which is really helpful. Although being monitored and kept an eye on sounds like some sort of Big Brother ideology, it is actually great in terms of moving forward in my current role and also being able to bolster my chances of future employment with evidence of the work I have achieved.
It's also been really good to experience the basic aspects of being in the wokplace such as 9-to-5 work hours, punctuality, team communication and professional routines. Afterall, the transition into the workplace can be tricky after being a student.
For me, the Future Jobs Fund has proved a very good initiative. I lost my confidence after my spell in unemployment and this placement has given me the focus and opportunity to regain this.
