Connor found himself in a common situation where his dreams of forging a career in a creative<\/p>\n
field, in this case photography, was being neutralised by the pressure of finding regular secure employment.<\/p>\n
He was conflicted and lacked direction.<\/p>\n
Upon meeting Carl, an LCC Employment and Skills advisor at Morley JCP, a plan was put into place to reassess Connor\u2019s short and long term ambitions.<\/p>\n
His advisor Carl encouraged Connor to analyse his skills and knowledge and consider what his priorities were. Connor stressed that a career in photography was something he really wanted to aspire to but he realised that he also needed a steady income. He didn\u2019t believe that these two goals could progress alongside each other but with some action planning and goal setting established it was clear that they could.<\/p>\n
Carl advised Connor to get some specialist advice on starting one\u2019s own business, so<\/p>\n
signposted him to The Business and IP centre at Leeds Libraries. He also sought advice from his work coach at Morley JCP on self-employment and how this would work with his benefits.<\/p>\n
Further information, advice and guidance included:<\/p>\n
\uf0b7 Giving feedback and advice on his website<\/p>\n
\uf0b7 Creating an online social media presence<\/p>\n
\uf0b7 Attending networking and meet up events<\/p>\n
\uf0b7 Applying for DBS and safeguarding training<\/p>\n
\uf0b7 Signposting to specific online learning tools such as Google Digital Garage, Future Learn etc.<\/p>\n
\uf0b7 Drafting a speculative letter to send to local studios and photographers in hope of gaining some work experience.<\/p>\n
\uf0b7 Researching photography qualifications through further education<\/p>\n
All of this hard work carried out by Connor and the guidance offered by his E&S worker has enabled Connor to establish a solid basis for a potential career in his chosen area of interest.<\/p>\n
However, as it was recognised that to forge his desired career, a more reliable and regular income would be required. We simultaneously set about putting the employability requirements and skills in place to increase Connor\u2019s chances of securing such work.<\/p>\n
Suggestions and research was carried out on Fareshare warehouse placement\/FLT course, Safety Stewarding course and more.<\/p>\n
We then updated his CV, wrote a cover letter, and reviewed job searching techniques.<\/p>\n
\u201cCarl has helped me realise that I can achieve my ambitions of starting a career in<\/p>\n
photography. He has given me the tools and confidence to appreciate my abilities and I now feel more motivated to give everything to achieve my goal.\u201d<\/p>\n
Connor now has a clear vision and is well on the way to securing work as well as building the stepping stones to a potential career in photography. Keep an eye out on Connor\u2019s website here: www.connormoizer.com<\/a><\/p>\n