Being made redundant can significantly disrupt careers and leave workers anxious about their future.

For some, however, it is an opportunity to make a whole new start and John Tulip, of Byres Green, is one of the latter. Thanks to Broker North East he is now settled in a job that is just as rewarding as his last without the pressure of a managerial position.

Following redundancy from his high-powered career as chief executive of a charity, John had a difficult period of unemployment before he felt ready to get back into work. It was during those two years that he sought the help of Broker North East to give him the extra support he needed to succeed.

John made good use of the services provided by Broker North East. He said:

“Broker North East helped me by contacting my employer, doing job searches and putting me in contact with the right people.”

Broker North East co-ordinator Adam Chicken approached fostering agency Orchard Care and described John who had himself been a foster carer for many years. The company felt that John would be perfect for the job and so arranged an interview and subsequently offered him the position of an educational support worker.

“It certainly would’ve been difficult without Broker North East’s help” John added. “I had such low confidence and was really battered down. They gave me the push I needed to get back into work.”

John now provides educational support for the fostering agency, which includes visiting local schools and helping children in the class to integrate. John loves his new job because it allows him to help young people to progress in education and in their personal lives. He works with disadvantaged children and finds the experience truly rewarding. When he is not working, he spends his time relaxing with his family and enjoys sea fishing, camping and walking.

Broker North East works with Jobcentre Plus to help people back into employment after long-term illness or disability through the New Deal for Disabled People Initiative.

People on incapacity benefits or long-term sickness benefits can find out more about Broker North East, and the support to get back to work, by calling 0800 389 7063.

Notes for editors

1. Jobcentre Plus, part of the Department for Work and Pensions, brings together employment and benefit services for people of working age. It provides a professional and modern service to meet the diverse needs of employers and those seeking work, including:

• Personal advisers to provide practical support and advice to help those in need find and keep work, including training provision and benefits guidance
  
• A dedicated service to support employers in filling their vacancies quickly and successfully
  
• Ability to place and search for jobs both online and over the phone (via Jobpoints and through Jobseeker Direct and Employer Direct)
  
• Swift, secure and professional access to benefits for those entitled to them

2. Customers can access Jobcentre Plus services through around 1,000 locations across Great Britain, including over 800 newly refurbished Jobcentre Plus offices. Touch-screen terminals and Customer Access Phones are also available in a further 120 sites such as libraries and local authority premises. Jobcentre Plus works with over 275,000 employers to place 17,000 people into work every week. Over 400,000 vacancies are listed each week on its website and more than 4m job search requests are received, making it the number one UK recruitment website.

3. For further information on the services that Jobcentre Plus provides employers and people of working age explore the Jobcentre Plus website.