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Case study: Jack's story
After completing a Level 1 in Catering and Hospitality, Jack found himself out of education and employment. The Community Youth Hubs helped him take his next steps in education and work experience to gain permanent work.
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After completing a Level 1 in Catering and Hospitality, Jack found himself unemployed and frustrated. Despite applying for jobs every week, he wasn’t hearing back from employers.
Jack had been out of college and unemployed for a year when Jobcentre Plus referred him to his local Community Youth Hub in Crystal Peaks. Youth Hubs are run by Opportunity Sheffield in collaboration with Jobcentre Plus. They give young people aged 16-24 bespoke employment support.
With the support of his Work Coach and Youth Hub Career Progression Mentor at Crystal Peaks, Jack began to build his confidence. He received tailored support with job searching, interview skills, and mock interviews to help him prepare for work.
Jack attended a recruitment session at the Jobcentre to work at The Range over the Christmas period. He was successful and gained valuable paid work. Although the role ended in January 2024, Jack had some new work experience on his CV.
Jack undertook a voluntary position at Foodworks in February 2025, strengthening his CV further. Shortly after, Jack started a five-week Level 2 Hospitality Sector-based Work Academy Programme (SWAP) with Springboard. It provided both classroom training and practical work experience.
After gaining the qualification, including an alcohol and beverage licence, Jack completed one week of work experience at Nando’s.
When an opportunity to attend a group interview presented itself at the new Nando’s at Crystal Peaks, Jack was interested but nervous. He’d never done a group interview before and wasn’t sure what to expect. Thanks to a group interview preparation session run by the Youth Hub, Jack felt ready for the real thing.
Jack attended the group interview and was successful! The interviewers were impressed with both his qualifications and wealth of work experience. He was offered a permanent position at Nando’s on 26 July 2025. Jack has made new friends and is enjoying his first month at work.
Jack’s story is a great example of how the right support, a lot of persistence and a little bit of confidence can go a long way.
“I appreciate how much time the Youth Hub had to support me,” says Jack. “The help I got, including improving my CV, made it easier to apply for jobs.”