“Before joining Spear, I spent two years looking for work. I spoke to employers and worked hard on editing my CV but I never got any responses. I tried everything I could think of to improve my chances of getting a job, but nothing seemed to work. I was really struggling for money and felt under a lot of pressure from family and friends to get a job.

“I started going in to the Job Centre and overhead Chris, one of the coaches at Harrow, talking to someone else about Spear so I went and asked her what it was about. She told me that Spear helps get you ready for work, and you visit companies to see what the workplace is like, which sounded really interesting. She said Spear stays in touch with you for 12 months after you finish the programme, which sounded brilliant. I figured I had to nothing to lose.

“Joining the programme, I was so struck by the level of personalised 1-2-1 support Spear offer; it felt so personable. It was so helpful to have a dedicated coach to support me through the process of looking for work and to talk through anything outside of work that was having an impact on me. Learning about the power and victim mentality on the programme really made an impression on me; I realised I’d seen myself as a victim for a while, blaming everything else, but now I realise I do have options, I can be proactive, and so it’s really changed my outlook.

“After visiting i2i for our company visit on the programme, Chris helped me put my CV together. A few days later, they called me in for an assessment and they offered me a marketing internship! Now I’m focused primarily on email marketing, using Photoshop, Dreamweaver, and learning how to code; it’s an amazing opportunity.

Whatever I do next, Spear will always be the foundation: it’s taught me how to be proactive, how to be confident, and how to be a leader in the workplace.”