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We provide training and events for young people and women in the Borough of Tower Hamlets working in partnership with a range of other organisations and firms.
Looking to get qualifications or build confidence? Young People Click Here, Women Click Here to find out what we offer.
Danny Fitzgerald, City Gateway & HSS Hire - 'ESF Participant of the Year 2009'
Date Published:
Tue, 10/27/2009 - 10:00
At an awards ceremony at City Hall last night Danny Fitzgerald, a young person who has come right through our training onto an apprenticeship with HSS Hire, was voted 'London ESF Participant of the Year'.
The inagural Awards showcased the talent and skills and employment-related achievements of people and organisations in receipt of ESF across London. Danny was delighted to be presented with the trophy and took the opportunity to speak to the Deputy of Mayor of London and the head of all ESF programmes in the UK.
"We'd like to add our own personal congratulations to Danny for the effort he has put into our programmes, and to HSS for supporting our training and supplying his apprenticeship placement. It's a great example of the huge impact we can have on an individual's life when we work together." commented City Gateway CEO Eddie Stride.
Danny was excluded from school and very quickly became known in the local area for his involvement in crime and recreational drug use until he was arrested for possession of cannabis and charged with intent to supply. Despite this he now works full time for HSS Hire, earning an honest income. He enjoys his job, enjoys being in work, and says that he will never go back to drug dealing - he plans to be in work from now on!
Because of exclusion from school, Danny lacked the skills to get into any form of formal employment. He had been engaging with staff and peers at Limehouse Youth Centre (run by City Gateway) for years, and played football there regularly. City Gateway's youth work team were able to offer Danny drugs counselling, as well as referring him into a structured training programme with CG's Training & Employment Department. In partnership with HSS Hire, CG provided Danny with training in Customer Service, Sales, IT and Employability. This training was co-funded by ESF. This was Danny's first time in training - he hadn't stepped into a class room in years.
From his success on this programme, Danny then progressed into an Apprenticeship with HSS Hire, going on to gain a further qualification in scaffolding whilst on his work placement. He enjoyed this placement, but found the lack of income a serious challenge to his self-motivation. He proved his new-found responsibility and accountability by talking about this with me and other City Gateway staff members, whereupon he then made the decision to stick at it with the hope that the Apprenticeship would lead to employment. HSS Hire were so impressed with his performance on placement, that they offered him a full time job at the end of his Apprenticeship. Danny is still in this job, but is excited about moving into a scaffolding job once his court case is finished.
Danny Fitzgerald
"I was involved in a lot of bad things like drug dealing, I got raided, have got a court case coming up. I was speaking to Eddie from City Gateway at football and they invited me to come on a course, and Eddie said it could lead to job. So I started on the course which was Customer Services and later I was placed with HSS. It started going well and I was enjoying myself but I felt a bit out of place because I had to be in a classroom and this wasn't normal for me. I was never in a classroom, I was kicked out of school. I used to go cycling around on my pedal bike making money. So I really didn't want to do this course at first but Nigel and Eddie persuaded me and said it would be good."
"I've achieved a full time job which I've never had before. I know I won't be getting back involved in drug dealing ever, as I always want to be in work now. I also got a scaffolding qualification, and I want to go on and do scaffolding after this."
"I'm doing a full time job at HSS, and when the court case is done I want to go on and be a scaffolder. I wanted to join the army but I can't for the next 8 years because of the drug dealing. In 8 years time I'll have kids and that so I'm going to do scaffolding."