How did they feel about their situation prior to the programme?  
Having come to the UK I was not sure about the way forward in terms of getting employment and lacked any sense of direction. It was important for me to get a job and be financially independent for my son and I, but I didn’t know how the job market worked in the UK and didn’t understand the system/processes in place, it was all new to me and this made me feel very confused.  
 
What were their feelings about work before the programme?  
I felt there was no jobs out there for me because of my lack of work experience in the UK. I felt my qualifications from Africa were of no use here as they were not recognised or given much importance. I felt I needed to begin from the very start and needed to do something to get me into work. I thought of doing some sort of training or education in this country first so that I could to get a job. I was just so confused and didn’t know where to start! 

How would they describe the difference the programme has made?  
Having had the help and support from Community Connections South - I went onto training and have gained a recognised qualification in Food Safety. In addition to this, the help I got with job-searching and the knowledge gained from this has enabled me to gain good insight and awareness of the UK Job system and how things work in the UK. I now have a sense of direction and feel very confident in myself. I am able to job search independently and feel very hopeful and optimistic about the future.  
I competed a food and safety level 2 course and have successfully passed the course. I really enjoyed the course and It actually helped me get a job. I was interviewed for a kitchen assistant program at a care home and I passed the interview. The knowledge I gained from that course helped me answer the interview questions professionally. I'm truly grateful for that opportunity. Thanks to you and your team. I appreciate all you do. 
I will also be starting the computer course that I was referred to by CCS with Clarion Futures. 
 

How do they feel about their life now? 
I would like to say that the project has helped me so much, without the help and support from CCS I may not have been able to achieve what I have done so far in so little time. I now feel very optimistic about my future, I feel very confident and motivated in myself which I had lacked before joining the project. The BBO project has helped me to access free courses and gain qualifications in such little time. 

                     

now feel that I “fit into the system” as before I felt like an outsider looking in. I now feel I am a part of the community and am contributing to society. The BBO Project helped me to discover my strengths and the things I can really do, for instance the Food safety course level 2 I completed recently has enabled me to gain a qualification in a hobby that I feel very passionate about and would like to build on as a future career. 
 
Community Connections South is a Building Better Opportunities project funded by the European Social Fund and The National Lottery Community Fund