Dedicated father Tony builds himself a new career with help from Monmouthshire Housing Association and European funding

The support he received helped him overcome his struggles, find
his way to employment and help support his young family.

His three children began their lives under extremely difficult
circumstances before living with Tony, who himself had received a
difficult upbringing, and he was eager to make sure he could meet
their childcare needs, as hard as that might be.

Before his referral to the project however, Tony found himself
caught between the pulls of dealing with the Jobcentre, looking for
work and raising his children, the demands of each conflicting with
the other to the point where he thought he would never be able to
get back into work.

He was fortunate enough, however, to be placed on the
Monmouthshire Employment Pathway, a project aimed at helping
participants towards work through mentoring and coaching, followed
by a supported, paid placement with a company.

Conversation wasn’t one of Tony’s strong points in the
beginning, and he seemed a bit of a closed book, but through hard
work and perseverance Monmouthshire Housing Association were able
to identify a keen interest in carpentry and organise a placement
for Tony within a company called Cosgrove Construction.

The Monmouthshire Employment Pathway project provided Tony with
as much support as possible to help him prepare, but ultimately it
came down to a nail-biting final interview for Tony to demonstrate
what he was truly capable of.

Happily, Tony did himself justice and was accepted onto the
placement. His hours were worked to suit his childcare needs, and,
just like that, he was in paid employment, the first step taken to
better supporting his young family.

Although there were some small hiccups along the way, it wasn’t
long until both Tony and his children began to see improvements to
his confidence and motivation as he finally started to see he now
had job prospects he never would have previously believed.

This proved to be especially true when, upon completion of his
placement, Tony and Monmouthshire Employment Pathway’s hard work
and commitment bore fruit with the offer of a permanent post at
Cosgrove Construction, something he has fully embraced. 

The work that Monmouthshire Housing Association did with Tony,
funded by Active Inclusion and supported by European Social Funds,
sums up how far someone can go if they just get the right help, and
the difference it can make not only to individuals, but their
families too.