One of the first young people to get a job through the work of FAST explains more about the exciting employability work happening on the Patmore Estate.
“This time last year I was unemployed. I was working with FAST trying to work out what I wanted to do as I was a bit confused. I love cooking and so FAST got me involved with a small business called Well Kneaded who make stone baked pizzas.
FAST helped me get work experience, then I did training in Level 2 Food Hygiene and now I’m employed as an actual caterer. I have never been employed before so without FAST I would be nowhere. Before FAST came, when I was growing up on Patmore, because I’ve been there all my life, we didn’t have as many opportunities. There wasn’t really any youth clubs, we were always just hanging out on the block, having a special fag, hiding from our parents.
Since FAST has come we have progressed in getting some of the young people 11-30 to come in and do CVs so they have the opportunity to push in the right way on courses, jobs and housing – anything to help them really.
I now love my job, it has given me a reason to get out of bed and I like working with the different ingredients and learning how to make dough.”