Member Article

Jobseekers gain confidence on the catwalk

An innovative week-long scheme linking fashion, sport and job-seeking skills has just helped 13 long-term people from Liverpool move closer to employment.

Ingeus, which delivers the government’s Work Programme throughout the North West, partnered with fashion designer Samantha Quinn and retired English amateur boxer Natasha Jonas from Liverpool to run the course. The aim was to help the group better appreciate the range of transferrable skills they all had, including confidence-building, team work and communication. The week concluded at the Double Tree hotel on Sir Thomas Street where, using their planning, team-working and communication skills, the group hosted a fashion show and paraded the latest designs on the catwalk in front of employers from the city.

“We spent a lot of time in the classroom understanding what employers look for when they recruit, and then split the rest of our time working alongside Samantha in planning the fashion show and learning new leadership skills with Natasha in the gym,” said Richie Ellison, who’s Ingeus’s manager for social engagement. “Many participants said at the start that they had no interest in fashion, and the others declared they had no interest in sport. However, everybody changed their views by the end of the week as they saw the connection and they became really enthusiastic about what they were doing.”

Jody Lowrie, 29, from Liverpool gained enough confidence to model high-fashion leather tailoring in front of the invited audience at the show. “Having been a full-time mum, I have never been employed. However, now that my daughter goes to school I really want a job, for myself and so that I can teach my little girl that working brings many rewards. I would like to become a personal assistant, and that means I have to be well-organised and not afraid to speak out in front of others. I’ve been doing this and a lot more all week and it’s really given me a boost.”

Samantha Quinn added, “I’m passionate about my job and my aim was to help others understand what keeps me motivated. Fashion is about design, but it’s also about believing in yourself and what you can do. By the end of the week, our group knew a little more about the value of planning, talking to each other and having the confidence to speak openly. It was a remarkable transformation amongst a group of people who, at the start, believed they had no connection with many skills that employers look for when they recruit. Through fashion and through sport with Natasha, they soon changed their minds.”

Events manager at DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel & Spa Liverpool, Jessica Rice, added, “We were delighted to support the jobseekers at their recent fashion show set within our hotel. It was inspiring to see the work that Ingeus does to motivate jobseekers and help them develop new skills, and then for the group to enjoy being in the limelight at the end of the week. What a transformation!”

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