Padraig attended St Gerard’s School & Support Services. He did not complete any qualifications which he feels is down to his inability to properly read and write, and explains he struggled greatly trying to progress at the same pace as others in his class. This left him feeling frustrated, self-conscious and like he was “no-good, so what was the point in trying”.

He made the choice to join the Get Connected Programme after he left school at the age of 18. Reading, writing and Self Confidence were major obstacles for him. Throughout the Get Connected programme, there was a noticeable change in his behaviour. He got involved in all aspects of the programme, going on activities, taking part in personal development and employability classes and sampling various job sections. Padraig really enjoyed the catering and after attending a few sampling days, he decided he would enjoy doing this full time at Workforce.

He has now completed almost 13 months on the Training for Success Catering Programme and is thriving. He is successfully flourishing in his work placement at New Life Church and has been given part time work there as a reward for being such a hard worker. His confidence has greatly improved and although he has barriers to learning, he still shows up to classes and tries his best.

When asked about the Get Connected programme Padraig stated, “It’s really good, it helped me a lot. You meet new people and go to places you would never dream of getting to. It has totally improved my confidence!” His goals for the future are to be fully qualified with a full time job and “maybe one day have my own restaurant”.

Padraig feels he #madetherightchoice