Neath family all find jobs with help from employment
project

Three people from the same family have found
permanent jobs in quick succession thanks to the help of the South
West Workways project.
Partners Karen Thomas and Tony Darvell and
Karen’s son Jacob, all of whom hail from Neath, have found work
with a variety of local companies.
Workways, which is backed with £12.6 million
from the European Social Fund through the Welsh Government,
provided the trio with a range of support including job search
assistance, help with CVs and applications, and access to training
and temporary jobs.
Tony, forty five years of age, had been
unemployed for ten years caring for his mother who passed away last
year. He had no recent work experience and no qualifications. With
the support of Workways, Tony found work as an operative with
Derwen Group, a Neath Abbey based licensed waste transfer station
and manufacturer of recycled aggregates.
Tony said “We’ve got a six year old daughter
so having a job has made a big difference. I’ve got money in my
pocket to buy her the things she needs for school and also spoil
her a bit too.”
Having seen the help that her partner Tony was
getting from Workways, Karen signed herself up for the project too.
She had been made redundant from her job in a coffee shop and had
been applying for a number of vacancies without success.
Workways helped rebuild Karen’s confidence and
found her a job at Nu Cofi, a Neath based coffee shop. The part
time hours were ideal as they allowed the couple to both work
without any childcare issues.
Karen said “My Workways mentor Deb was
fantastic. She was always there to talk to. Nu Coffee has been
really supportive as well.”
Karen’s son Jacob was the last member of the
family to sign up for Workways. Since leaving school in 2011, he
had undertaken various one month traineeships but had been unable
to secure a permanent job.
Workways supported Jacob to attend a course
with SkillWales where he gained experience in a variety of trades,
qualified for a site safety card and received a welcome boost in
confidence. At the end of the course, he was delighted to be
offered a job as a labourer with BDT construction. Only one month
after signing up for Workways, Jacob had secured permanent
employment.
Jacob said “I was landed to get a job so
quickly. I’m happy to be working with BDT.”
Councillor Ali Thomas, Leader of Neath Port
Talbot Council said “It’s excellent to hear news of 3 members of
the same family who have all found jobs with the help of Workways.
It’s a fine example of the variety of support the project can
offer.”