Trailblazing the way: stories from Salford Futures (#2)

Salford Futures is a work experience programme designed to help residents who have been out of work reconnect with employment opportunities. The programme offers tailored support through one-to-one mentoring, employability training, and now paid placements through the Intermediate Labour Market (ILM) scheme. The goal of Salford Futures is to provide the right support at the right time, helping Salford residents to build confidence, develop skills, and take steps toward sustainable employment.

One of the participants is Madison. Through Salford Futures, she’s now thriving in a Community Engagement role, gaining valuable experience and rediscovering her confidence in the workplace.

Madison

Can you introduce yourself?
Hello, I’m Madison. I am a Community Engagement Advisor for The Growth Company. I mainly work in the skills area, interviewing people and making sure they are going in the right direction, being placed where they need to be as a customer.

What initially motivated you to join the Salford Futures programme, and how did you hear about it?
I’d finished a three-year degree in theatre and performance. I was feeling a little bit lost after it all because theatre is my passion and what I want to do for the rest of my life, but it’s not something you can easily create a stable career out of.

So, I came to Salford Employment Hub as a customer looking for help and support in getting a job. My mental health and personal family issues were making me feel lost in a city after finishing uni, two and a half hours away from home.

I got paired with an advisor, and we worked together for about seven months on my mental health, finances, help with somewhere to stay, lots of different things. Then this programme opened up, and Becky said, “I think you’d be quite good at this, do you want to join?” I was like, absolutely!

I was nervous, but knowing Becky and having that familiarity really helped. I went for the interview in the summer, got it, and here I am.

Tell us about your experience so far and the most valuable skills or lessons you’ve learned.
My experience so far has been brilliant. Everyone is so kind and understanding. It feels lovely, like I’m cared about within a team rather than just being a cog in a machine.

One of the most valuable things I’ve learned is to be less embarrassed about myself and my disability. I can be a big character, which sometimes masks the difficulties I have with autism and ADHD. That means I don’t always understand things the way others do, or I might get things wrong because it hasn’t made sense to me.

Have there been any challenges, and how have you overcome them?
I didn’t realise how much embarrassment I had around getting things wrong, and that was holding me back. Learning that has been really valuable. It’s helped me understand how that affects my communication and how to overcome it.

After finishing uni, I didn’t realise how low my confidence was, and was constantly wondering if I was good enough because of how my brain works.

This placement helped me learn how I function in a job and how to work best with others to create balance. It’s nice to know I can sit down and chat about things and figure out solutions together. It’s been a struggle, but also really good for me personally and professionally.

How is Salford Futures preparing you for further opportunities?
It’s helping me feel comfortable in the workplace and reminding me that getting things wrong doesn’t mean I’m an issue, it just means I process things differently. It’s given me tools to feel more confident in any job. It’s shown me that after a week or so, you can pretty much do anything once you’ve got the hang of it. Things aren’t as difficult as they look when you’re freshly 20 and stepping into the world. It gives you responsibility, which is nice.

What advice would you give to someone considering joining the programme?
Let yourself get things wrong, because if you don’t, you’ll never progress. The only way to learn is by trying things you’ve never done before, and of course, you’ll make mistakes.

But that’s how you learn skills and push yourself, not just in a company, but as a person. Have faith that if you get things wrong, you can communicate and figure out how to move forward. Give yourself grace and a pat on the back. That really helps you push yourself in the role.

Madison and Sarah

Sarah, can you introduce yourself?
My name is Sarah Scott. I’m Madison’s manager, and I work for Salford Employment Hub.

What initially motivated you to place a Salford Futures participant, and how did you hear about the programme?
Salford Employment Hub supports Salford residents back into employment, and we work very closely with the Salford Futures team on a wider scale.

We were involved in enrolling clients onto the Salford Futures programme and heard about the vacancies through that process. Initially, we were involved on an operational level, but then we decided to host a placement ourselves as well.

Can you describe the onboarding experience and the support you’ve had from Salford Futures?
There were quite a few meetings about identifying potential candidates and a lot of referrals from different organisations. Salford Futures screened the clients we put forward, and then we offered support around interviews and pre-employment preparation.

The process was collaborative and straightforward, with regular communication to make sure everything went smoothly.

How would you say Madison is benefiting your team or department?
Madison is very enthusiastic, and she makes our team enthusiastic too. She’s brought a lot of skills into the team, supporting team members with clients, researching, organising our events calendar, keeping it up to date, and allocating staff to events.

She’s a really good team member who has fitted in well and brought her skills and knowledge to the role. Her enthusiasm motivates me to support her and the residents we work with.

What advice would you give to other managers who are considering hosting a placement?
It’s a really good opportunity to support Salford residents in the long term, give them the chance to expand their skills, develop new ones, and appreciate the skills they bring into the team.

For more information on the Salford Futures programme, email [email protected].