Can trying something new change a young person’s future? Without a doubt! See how skills training helped Kayleigh to take her first steps toward a dream career as a flight attendant.
Kayleigh, a 17-year-old from Yate, joined our Employment and Skills Programme in October 2024. Having previously worked a couple of part-time jobs that she didn’t enjoy, Kayleigh’s goal was to become a flight attendant, but she didn’t feel quite ready to apply for a college course after leaving secondary school. Having heard about the programme through her Works4Youth work coach, Kayleigh decided to get involved so that she could try something new whilst building on her skills to progress into her dream career.
Kayleigh’s positive attitude and enthusiasm was clear from the beginning of the skills development workshops, and she put this to good use as she began to step out of her comfort zone and contribute to discussions. Kayleigh worked hard at the tasks to further her transferable skills and realised the importance of her professional abilities, such as writing emails, which she had not taken much notice of in school.
I think I just enjoyed the whole programme really, it was definitely something I don’t normally do. It gave me a rough idea of how to go into [the work placement], knowing what my skills were so I could work on them.
Kayleigh also developed her self-confidence and took great encouragement from a visit to Coutts Bank, where she heard from a previous Employment and Skills graduate who had progressed through the programme into a full-time role at NatWest.
I liked listening to everyone there and hearing how much they enjoyed it, especially the guy that was on the course. It was nice seeing how far he had gotten from it, and it made me feel good because if he has got this far, surely, I can get someplace else as well.
Kayleigh completed a 10-day work placement in the facilities department at TLT. There, she assisted the team with general admin tasks; printing and scanning, sorting post, and taking food to different floors of the building. Kayleigh also designed a poster advertising a clothing drive for a homelessness charity which was displayed around the building. Her host managers expressed how well Kayleigh was doing with them:
Overall, Kayleigh was an absolute pleasure during her placement and was always friendly and happy to help with all tasks.
Throughout the placement, Kayleigh was able to puther new-found professional persona into practice as she developed her communication skills as well as her confidence within the workplace. She commented that she could now see herself working in an office-environment, something she had not considered for herself in the past.
I did really enjoy it. It was different and I liked it because it was different. If I don’t become a flight attendant for some reason, I would like to do something like facilities, maybe…it’s expanded my horizons.
Having completed the programme, Kayleigh is looking for part-time work whilst also preparing to apply for flight attendant courses at local colleges in September. She continues to be supported by her mentor, Michelle who was matched to her at the start of the programme and has helped her to progress through her employment journey.
She was like my biggest supporter. She was so nice and she’s still there for me now which I find so sweet. It wasn’t even just within the programme, she’s still there helping me now even when I’m trying to find a job, we’ve done work on my CV.
