Careers Focus: Work Trial is a fresh start

Sometimes all you need is a chance to show what you can do. For one pub chef that chance revived his career - and solved a recruitment problem for the licensee of a local pub.

Five years ago 44-year-old Robert Armstrong decided that working as a cook wasn't for him and he set off to change careers. Unfortunately, things didn't work out quite as he planned and for two years he found himself out of work altogether. Then his luck changed, thanks to a new government initiative - and a local publican willing to give him a chance. Robert became one of the latest people to benefit from a 'Work Trial' arranged between an employer and Jobcentre Plus.

Under the scheme, individuals who have been unemployed may be eligible to work for two weeks while continuing to receive benefits. For Robert, this provided a significant opportunity.

"Having not worked as a cook for five years - and not worked at all for the past two - I wasn't all that confident that I could return to the job," he says. "I wasn't even applying for those kind of vacancies any more."

But a Work Trial before Christmas gave Robert the confidence that he could return to working in the kitchen, and it also gave the Monkseaton Arms the chance to see what he could do. Come the new year, Jo Macintyre, licensee of the pub in Monkseaton, Tyne and Wear, was impressed enough to offer him a full-time position.

"I was pleased to give Robert a chance to get back into work and even more delighted that he settled in so well," she says. "I had no hesitation in offering him a permanent place and I think taking him on a trial basis first really helped himto prove to us - and to himself - that he could still do the job".

Robert, too, was grateful for the opportunity.

"The Work Trial certainly helped me to get some of my old confidence back," he says. "I found I could still do the job and rediscovered my love of it. My new colleagues have been very supportive, too. I'm really happy here."

Fred Foster, the manager of the Jobcentre Plus branch that brought Robert and Jo together, believes in working more closely with employers and finding out what they need.

"Giving employers the chance to tell us the skills and experience they require helps us better prepare," he explains. "Some potential employees may lack confidence or up-to-date skills and we can offer a free work trial for up to 15 days or commission some tailored training.

"I'm confident initiatives like these can help all sizes of employers - and, of course, individuals like Robert."