Alan had been out of work for over four years after being made redundant from his previous role.

This had a great impact on him financially and ended up with him not being able to pay his rent, which lead to his viction.

Alan resorted to ‘sofa surfing’ for a number of months, until he eventually found work in Lewes.

His employer provided a place to board, but this opportunity ended after two years.

Homeless once again, Alan was living on the streets and local woods in a tent for about 7-8 months.

Alan’s advisor recommended he attend Strive Training’s Waitrose Jobs information day at Purley JCP on August 12th.

He met with Ananta and Christine (EA) from DWP where he learned about the SBWA linked to Waitrose Roles and decided to come along to the assessment to see if he could join the course and get the support to apply for the roles with Waitrose.

Alan arrived at Strive Training Croydon for his two week Warehousing and Storage course.

Alan recalled that “to begin with, I wasn’t entirely sure how the course would help, but as soon as the course started I soon realised that there was a tremendous amount to be learnt.”

While on the course, he received the support he needed from Christine and Ananta to apply for the Warehouse Assistant role online. Despite taking more than two hours, he was adamant to not give up.

As he and Ananta chatted, he was mentioned that he had been homeless for a while and was living in the woods in a tent. But he felt that by coming into Strive Training to complete his Level 2 Warehousing Qualification, his “luck was about to change.”

He wasn’t wrong – within his two weeks at Strive, he had the opportunity to apply for a role that he thought he would never be considered for, gain his qualification with Shani’s expert help and meet his potential Employer! Plus, he had secured his first sheltered accommodation.

“Having suffered from social anxiety for a long time now I was not too sure how I would react to the group situations I was being put into, but having now completed the course I realise how much it has helped me in day to day social situations and will continue helping me in the future.”

Alan was beaming after being offered an interview on 29th August. As part of his interview he would have to do a team exercise and a written assessment, which he was a little worried about having suffered with social anxiety.

Ananta assisted him with some interview preparation, which gave eased some of his concerns. He also benefited by visiting the site whilst he was on the course.

Alan was thrilled to be offered the role, which he readily accepted! He not only started a new position on 17th September – but started a brand new chapter in his life.

“I can say, in all honesty, that I would never have gotten to this point without Strive Training’s help. I cannot thank them enough for all they have done to help me.”