Staff story
Gemma's story: fancy a change?
Gemma, 23 is a job coach at United Response's Trafford Supported Employment service. She says the best thing about her job is not knowing what each day will bring.
Gemma graduated from university with an Art degree. Her first job was working as a sales co-ordinator for a theatrical make-up company. She saw an advert in the local newspaper for Job Coach with United Response and applied.
Although she had not worked in the care sector before, she was interested in supporting people with learning disabilities to get into work. She says:
"I hadn't worked in the sector before, but that didn't put me at a disadvantage. My job is about creating opportunities and you don't necessarily need social care experience to do that. You just need the right attitude."
Like so many jobs at United Response, Gemma's job is varied. She says:
"There isn't a typical day. My day could be any part of the job coaching process. It could be profiling, job searching, or supporting people on a placement. The job coaching placement is different for each person so each day is pretty unique."
In order to do her job, Gemma received training in various areas including Health and Safety, First Aid, Disability Awareness and Supporting People into Employment. And she has been able to put to good use the multi-tasking, time management and communicating skills, which she developed in her previous job.
She has also brought her creative skills to the role, adapting how she communicates with people to meet their needs, often working with pictures. And she's brought with her persistence and negotiating skills - persuading employers to take someone on can be very difficult. She also has to be organised, to be able to manage the time she spends trying to make new links and supporting people in their workplace.
She says one of the most important things needed to do the job is not to be over sensitive. Most of the employers she talks to are nervous of employing people with learning disabilities. Gemma considers this a challenge. She says
"many employers are not interested so perseverance is key. My most memorable experience since being in post has been securing a paid position for the first person I worked with."
Working with several people requires time management.. Gemma, like so many other people who work with United Response, needs to be flexible and organised to make sure everyone has the right amount of support.
To anyone considering changing direction and working for United Response, she says:
"Do like I did and just apply. You will be amazed what you can do with the skills you have."