48 yr old ex lorry driver Tony Butterworth lives in Fairgrove (next to Kingsway Business Park), Rochdale. Unfortunately, after 15- yrs of driving Tony had his LGV licence revoked in October 2005 on medical grounds.
Consequently, he became unemployed and registered with Job Centre Plus. Tony made daily attempts to secure work on construction sites, he responded to adverts and made regular site visits to no avail; he felt his age was the main barrier to employment.
Tony registered with J21 through Margaret Alger - Specialist Construction Advisor, Job Centre Plus in January 2006 and expressed a strong desire to drive
construction plant and work on Kingsway Development. He demonstrated his determination to succeed by self financing the cost of the CSCS health & safety test which he successfully passed. J21, recognised his efforts and determination, and agreed to fund the cost of a plant licence, with a view to securing Tony a job as an excavator driver; he successfully completed the 10 day course in November 06.
A month later J21 interviewed Tony for the post of Site Caretaker, working directly to Wilson Bowden Developments on Kingsway Business Park. Tony was successful in securing the job and was supported with further training as a telescopic handler; mobile elevated platform operator and slinger signaller, to meet the specification for the job.
Comments
Tony:
I consider myself to be very lucky to get a decent job at my age, doing what I enjoy the most: working outside. What's best about the job is that I'm working on my doorstep, on the biggest construction site for miles, for a national developer that takes pride in what it does. The help and support I was given from Margaret Alger was invaluable, she spent a lot of time helping me overcome my problems and find me work. J21 had confidence in my ability to secure work in construction and backed this up by organising and funding the training I required to secure a job.
Employer:
I was impressed with the way J21 organised and coordinated the recruitment process; 4 strong candidates where made available for interview. Tony stood out from rest and was the obvious choice; he's now become an integral part of the team and is valued. His local knowledge has proven to be an advantage in setting-up the site. He's fully trained, very capable and as a good attitude to work, taking his job seriously.
Nick Foster - Site Manager,
Wilson Bowden Developments,
Kingsway Business Park, Rochdale