Eleanor found herself unexpectedly out of work during the COVID pandemic and turned to Universal Credit for support. It was at this point that Eleanor was introduced to the Kickstarter scheme at The Calico Group.
Eleanor met up with Lindsey Danson and Chris Marsh, who support young people within the Group, resulting in Eleanor securing an interview for an Administration Assistant role. This was delayed due to COVID-related issues, and Eleanor was subsequently offered a position as Site Administration in the New Build department at Ring Stones.
Once her initial six-month period on the Kickstart Scheme came to end, Eleanor was then offered a permanent position as an Administrative Assistant in Ring Stones Regeneration Team.
Ben Simmonds, Head of Regeneration at Ring Stones, says, “Eleanor has proven to be a great addition to the team and shows a real commitment to Ring Stones. The pandemic had a major impact on Eleanor, and without the Kickstart scheme she would still potentially be without a job.
“As a business, we’re continuing to support the Kickstart Scheme due to the success we have had with Eleanor. The scheme is a great initiative for 16- to 24-year-olds to have a six-month paid work placement, where they can gain experience and, as shown in Eleanor’s instance, go on to potentially gain full-time employment.”
Eleanor says, “I stumbled across the Kickstart advertisement and gave myself a push to apply – I’m so glad I did. So far, I’ve enjoyed every single day I’ve worked here at Ring Stones. The people I get to work with are so welcoming, as is everyone else in the wider Group that I have met.
“Everyone is so nice and helpful, and I honestly feel like I’ve been here forever – I sometimes forget that it’s only been six months!”
To learn more about the Kickstart Scheme, please visit Calico Enterprise here.
To discover current vacancies and other routes to employment at Ring Stones, please visit our recruitment page here.