Situation
Peter was involved in a serious motorcycle collision and sustained fractures to his right leg, resulting an above the knee amputation. Additionally, he also sustained fractures to his right elbow and shoulder resulting in surgery to both the elbow and more recently the shoulder (reverse shoulder replacement). Although he has held numerous roles in his career, Peter had been worked in the security industry for the previous 20 years and was not keen to return to this line of work. He was referred for Bee Work Ready employability support to explore options around volunteering, which would be the next stage in his recovery.
Task
During our initial conversations, it was clear that Peter wanted to incorporate some positive activities away from home, back into his weekly routine. Additionally, he had many practical based skills, that he was unaware of, lacking confidence in his value and capabilities. It was important that he was able to understand some of the options available to him and be supported in discussing his capabilities.
Action
Our initial work was to explore the key range of transferable skills that Peter had been using since sustaining his injuries. These were gained in his hobby as a model maker, requiring a great attention for detail, patience and practical ability.
We used this discussion to better understand the things that are of interest to him, which included history, creating and following processes. Ideally any role would involve working in no more than small teams, with people who he could be at ease with. After conducting some research, we discussed a range of volunteer options that were available locally. He decided that the opportunity of working at a local historical fort would be of great interest, so a meet and greet was arranged with their team of volunteers. Our employability skills specialist also attended the meeting, which took place on a Saturday morning. The visit presented Peter with an opportunity to learn more about the role and the team he would be working within. It also allowed the existing volunteers to better understand what he was looking to get out of the opportunity and how best they could support him in achieving this in a safe manner. A summary of the visit was sent to Peter’s Case Manager, along with a wide variety of photographs for her to appreciate the environment that he would be working.
Result
After being supported in completing the application forms, Peter commenced volunteering on a Saturday morning. The role involves various unique tasks including cannon restoration, weapon making and refurbishment of the fort’s tunnels. He enjoys being part of the team from both a learning new skills perspective, but also being back within a social group where he feels comfortable and valued. The confidence gained from this has assisted him with incorporating other activities into his regime, including fishing, swimming and attending the gym, all important elements of his rehabilitation. His next goal is to secure a further volunteer role in a busier environment, with a faster pace of operations.
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