Member Article

Work is the spice of life for Richard

A young Birtley man has overcome immense obstacles to take his place in the North East workforce. 20-year-old Richard Hull has cerebral palsy, but the support of a Newcastle-based college has helped him to further his dreams of living independently.

At the Percy Hedley Foundation specialist Northern Counties College Richard has mastered a series of life skills - including Mexican cooking - as well as being involved with the new employability project that recently received two years’ European Social Fund (ESF) support through the Learning and Skills Council North East.

This included a work experience placement with the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) at Longbenton where Richard discovered he could easily fit into an office environment, carrying out a number of administrative tasks including some IT work.

Richard said: “I really enjoyed the experience which showed I could work as part of a team in a big office which is something I would love to do. I’ve now added job hunting to my list of things to achieve and that will help my plans to live more independently.”

Denise Low, Diversity Advisor, DWP, said: “Richard quickly impressed everyone he met and showed a great willingness to learn. I am delighted that we were able to give him the chance to show his skills and increase his confidence. We would certainly recommend other organisations to participate in the employability project as the rewards for all concerned are great.”

Richard is one of around 38 students at the college, aged between 18 and 25, involved with the employability project which is headed up by Ruth Woodfine. She said: “Richard’s work placement was a huge success for both himself and the DWP and is a fantastic example of what we are working to achieve. “He finished his placement feeling much more confident and after some consideration, he was able to focus his new found confidence into recognising a number of personal long term goals.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .