Drita’s Job Success with GRoW

Drita was referred to GRoW from her Job Centre in Uxbridge in December 2023 and has been actively engaged with the support GRoW has to offer. A regular attendee at our virtual Coffee Mornings as well as a regular visitor at GRoW’s HQ at The Winning Box in Hayes, Drita has engaged with Daily Steps ESOL training and has now found a job as a School Kitchen Catering Assistant.

Drita said “I moved to the UK from Albania and am a single parent to two boys. I worked part-time in a school nursery but my contract period ended in September and I have been out of work since then. The job centre referred me to GRoW and Sheeja worked with me as my Adviser. She helped give me so much support with things like my Universal Credit application and she also helped me with my housing issues too. The English language is a bit of a barrier for me but Sheeja enrolled me on an ESOL course with Daily Steps which I have completed online and it has been so helpful for me.

As a single parent it is important for me to find work that fits in with my children, so that I can take them to school and pick them up. Searching for jobs has not been easy but Sheeja helped me with that and she worked with me to write a really good CV that I could send to potential employers.

Having the support of GRoW has been so good for me. Taking part in Daily Steps to improve my English skills has been so important. I have applied for many jobs since stopping work last Summer and its been quite demotivating as I’ve felt I’ve not been progressing. Trying to find the right kind of work that I can fit in around my children has meant that there are less opportunities but I am so pleased now to have found this job as a School Catering Assistant. I found the job through an agency and its only a 30 minute travel for me by train which fits in really well with my circumstances.

I am really excited to be starting my new job in June and I am so thankful to GRoW for everything they’ve done to help me get back to work.