Samba, 21, joined the ESOL programme having been unemployed for over 2 years.  When Samba first started the course he could not read, write or speak any English, his confidence was low and he felt he had no sense of direction.

When Samba was assessed for his English and Maths skills initially, he scored a low mark. It was also identified that he was not computer literate, so he found it very difficult to do independent job search.  He also stated he had no money and could not attend interviews or buy the materials he needed for work.

Through the Individual Learning Plan session and reviews the ESOL tutors and Samba were able to identify his barriers and created an action plan to help him overcome these barriers and gain employment.  As a result of attending all the ESOL classes, completing homework and by attending the communication workshops Samba improved his English dramatically. This really helped Samba to build up his confidence and Samba was now able to have conversations in English with a variety of different people. He was very proud of the fact he could get involved when people speak about sports as Samba is a keen sportsman.

The next step for Samba was to gain some experience in something he wanted to do, he suggested retail, catering or construction. He also wanted to gain a certificate relevant to the field of work. Samba has no work history or any formal qualification in England so it was vital for both TNG and Samba that he gains a qualification. Samba was very willing to attend vocational training courses and also was eager to complete a placement.

Samba needed to improve his ICT skills, TNG could signposted him to BEST Computers. Samba learnt how to use a computer and has completed a short ICT training course in the basic use of computers. Even though this qualification was not accredited, it did help Samba to start to do his own job search independently, and he can now also send and receive E mails.

Samba had been out of employment for many years and it was really important he attend JAC training where he was giving interview techniques training, CV building and updating sessions and one to one job search workshops.  The best thing to come out of the JAC training was Samba gaining a work placement at Nando’s through one of TNGs account managers.

The placement provider felt Samba would be a perfect addition to the team and offered him a job with an immediate start date. Samba had only been on placement for two weeks at this time. Samba happily accepted the job and started the following week. Samba still wanted to complete his ESOL qualification and gain a Food and Hygiene certificate, which he needed for his job.

While working at Nandos, in his free time Samba attended TNG Stratford and completed the training for ESOL and Food Hygiene. Samba has been working at Nando’s for eight months now, he has completed and passed both his ESOL and Food and Hygiene qualification he is fully up to date with the qualification and training he needs to continue employment at Nando’s, his first job since coming to England.