#ERSAAwards21 Significant Achiever of the Year – The Finalists

Significant Achiever of the Year
Organisations delivering employability programmes can nominate exceptional jobseekers and learners they support.

The finalists:

Theo Thomas-Afonso
Nominated by Fedcap Employment
Theo Thomas-Afonso was unemployed for three years until he enrolled on the Work and Health Programme.
The 21-year-old has Cerebral Palsy, is in a wheelchair, wears hearing aids and only communicates digitally, which he believed was holding him back.
Determined to find work, he gained confidence and now has a new job he loves as an Administration Apprentice.

Jolene Thompson-Carney
Nominated by Offploy CIC
Jolene Thompson-Carney has faced many challenges – she became a drug user at the age of 11 and was later jailed for eight and a half years for a dealing offence.
But she has turned her life around, has a job as a line operative/labourer and is also encouraging others towards positive change.

Gabriel
Nominated by Recro Consulting
Gabriel had over five years’ teaching experience when he moved to the UK from Brazil in 2019. He worked in a factory for 10 months but lost the job due to Covid.
After a year of unemployment, Gabriel, who has autism, enrolled on a course which gave him the confidence to secure a dream job as a teaching assistant working with children with special needs.

Bethany Carroll
Nominated by Talent Finder
Bethany Carroll has been promoted to a full-time position at work from only four hours a week after gaining confidence from a career coaching scheme.
Bethany, who also cares for a young daughter, threw herself into the Kickstart scheme, impressing everyone and inspiring others to do the same.

Joshua Wareham
Nominated by Unity Works
Over the last year Joshua Wareham has mastered zoom interviews, managed his leisure time, looked for and found work, supported by a charity which helps people with learning disabilities.
Joshua, who has autism, now works at the London Eye and in his second week was given a staff award for his amazing customer service.

Samantha Cuffy
Nominated by Women’s Work Lab
Samantha Cuffy has made an inspirational journey back to work after 11 years’ unemployment as a single mum at home with two sons with additional needs.
She took part in a scheme supporting unemployed mums, which gave her the confidence and practical skills to win two incredible new roles.

This award category is sponsored by The Digital College, providing endorsed and accredited, vocational learning online to train individual learners and organisations.

Celebrate with the sector

Register for the ERSA Employability Awards – the winners announcement to be held online on 25 November at 2pm along with special messages from ministers and sector stakeholders. Please use our awards hashtag using #ERSAAwards21. 

The full list of the finalists across all categories can be found here and more on the awards here.