Rags to Riches

Before approaching BEST Ltd, Zanis spent his cold winter nights sleeping rough on the streets of Leeds, taking showers at the train station and receiving meals at the local community shelter every day. His luck soon changed when he volunteered to join BEST’s New Start programme, an initiative which seeks to support new arrival migrant workers into employment. This programme is funded and delivered in partnership with the European Social Fund and Jobcentre Plus.

“Zanis spoke very little English and despite his circumstances he didn’t let this interfere with his motivation to get a job, I found this inspirational” explains Maureen Skidmore, New Start Marketing Officer. “One of the major setbacks that affect a large proportion of our customers is the need to overcome the language barrier, with some customers speaking little or no English at all. It is our role to address such barriers and equip individuals with the necessary skills to enter full time employment”.

With the help of our experienced advisors, Zanis was taken on a work placement at Thackers Commercials, one of the premier powder coating companies in the North. “Working long hours often meant that he (Zanis) would miss out on his free meals, often finishing at 6 o clock. Working on an unpaid work placement showed me his commitment to the job and I was keen to take him on a permanent paid position. Zanis is now living the dream.” said Andrew Wilkinson, Director of Thackers Commercials.

The last words from Andrew..

We asked Andrew to share his experiences of the programme - “I would definitely recommend the New Start programme to others. From an employer’s perspective it is encouraging to see that there are people out there willing to go that extra mile for a job. It’s helped us out greatly given the current economic climate. It’s useful for SME’s like us to save time and expense”.

For more information on how you can become involved in the New Start programme contact us on 0113 245 8360.