Gary Jaye
Gary Jaye worked as a chef for 13 years, but the extreme stress of the job made him depressed and anxious, and he had to leave this job and ended up on incapacity benefit.
After nine months out of work, Gary was encouraged to volunteer and he signed up for the In Touch Volunteer programme at Manchester Museum.
“I wanted to learn more about the museum,” he said. “I learnt about working with diverse audiences, and cultural skills and knowledge. However, what has really helped me is the additional qualifications which have updated my CV and made me more desirable as a future employee.”
The In Touch Volunteers programme not only teaches learners, like Gary, about the objects contained in the museum, but also teaches key skills that are transferable to future employment.
Gary was the first volunteer to complete the Customer Service NVQ Level 2. Already having completed the tenweek training programme – within Embedded Literacy – at the museum, Gary signed up for a numeracy course and passed Level 1 and Level 2. He said, “This was one of my biggest achievements. At school, Maths was my weakest subject and now I have laid to rest my fear of Maths.”
He has also gained certificates from Welcome Host and the regional Tourist Board and is currently looking for employment in the social care sector.
“Learning has helped me increase in confidence, and spurred me on to consider further learning and training. Learning has given me something to do with my day and has been interesting and fun,” he says.