D barely left the house before joining Yep! with partner Pluss.  He suffers from ADHD and lacked confidence and motivation.  He has been out of education since 2021 and out of work since 2019. 

Through the 1:1 sessions with Community Coach Jon, D has built trust, and they often go for walks locally for 2 or 3 miles, which has had a positive impact on his mental health.  Just having someone to genuinely listen and give guidance about the barriers he faced and the opportunities he could explore has made a real difference to him. 

Although he does not feel ready for full-time work yet, D is starting some work experience at a garden centre which is perfect as he has an interest in plants and nature. 

He now feels more motivated and has signed up for and completed online training which included a video call, which was out of his comfort zone, but he did it!  A measure of how far he has come. 

“Over the past 3 months, I have been working with Jon from Pluss with the intention of helping me progress in my career and ultimately become more confident in finding new opportunities in employment. I lacked motivation and was anxious about taking the steps to achieve my goal of getting employed, but I feel that with Jon’s help, I have started to overcome these barriers. 

I was always adamant that learning wasn’t for me, however, after talking to Jon, I decided to partake in the ‘DCC, Cybersecurity, and Digital and IT Skills’ (B2W Group) course. After 3 weeks of studying every day, I can say that I have completed it. I feel accomplished and more confident that I am actually able to do something such as studying which can open new opportunities for me in the future. 

I have also been given the opportunity to begin work experience with a Garden Centre, which starts in early June. I’m really looking forward to this as I love plants and nature so it’s the best possible outcome for me! I feel like I’m going down the right path now and leaving my comfort zone.” D 

“It’s a pleasure to see D’s confidence develop, as when I first started to work with him, he lacked any self-belief, and he would often make excuses for not moving forward. He now seems to have turned a corner and is taking himself out of his comfort zone. 

D is incredibly capable, and I believe once the right opportunity presents itself, he will make the first steps to an exciting career.” Jon Berry (Pluss)