On day three of Action for Brain Injury week 2024 we are bringing you a story of dedication and determination in employment training. The theme for this awareness week is A life Re-written. The campaign explores identity after brain injury and tells the stories of brain injury survivors who have successfully rebuilt their lives.

This is James' experience: 

James started his training with Cedar by completing OCR units in completing a CV, job application forms and work preparation. After James got his OCR Entry Level 3 Award (E3), his confidence grew, and he was keen to continue to push himself and work towards further qualifications. After discussing the options with James, we decided that completing a subsidiary award in BTEC (Workskills) Developing Interview Skills would be the next step.

James was much more comfortable having the training delivered via Zoom. We met on a weekly basis and allowed extra time in our training sessions to have an informal chat at the start of each session and recap on what we had done the previous week. We ensured James had multiple breaks built into the sessions, so he didn’t get overtired.  We also extended the length of time taken to complete the course, so he did not feel rushed and could learn at his own pace. I typed up notes for James as he chatted about the topics and then emailed these notes to him so he could use them to help him fill in the learner booklet.

James was successful in completing this unit and was very willing to continue with his training.  James completed another Level 2 BTEC Unit - Developing Job Application Skills (he used his knowledge from OCR to further develop his understanding) and successfully completed this unit.  By completing the two units James was successful in achieving a BTEC Level 2 Award in Workskills.

We’d like to say well done to James for all his hard work and effort.

You can find out more about Cedar’s brain injury services on the website. https://www.cedar-foundation.org/brain-injuryservices

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