Local career support opens doors for Skye
Flexible support offered by Skills Development Scotland (SDS) in the community has been life changing for 17 year old Skye Paterson, who has gained confidence and qualifications.
Skye spent much of her time in her room at home and suffered with mental health challenges. On leaving school, she was volunteering with Fife Voluntary Action (FVA), who referred Skye to the local SDS team for coaching with Debbie McCreary.
To help Skye feel comfortable leaving the house, Debbie arranged to meet Skye with her mum at nearby Rothes Halls community space in the shopping centre.
Skye said: “I had assumed any help would need to based at the school, so it was really good to find out that I would be meeting Debbie in a place I knew and used.”
The two met regularly at the same venue for over a month and a half, where Debbie worked with Skye to understand her strengths, networks and relations to build her confidence and help her consider her options. During this time, Debbie and Skye looked at the benefits of taking an employability skills course that the King’s Trust offered at Fife College.
To support with Skye’s transition into the course, Debbie moved the meetings to the college, where SDS is based five days a week, and introduced Skye to the woman who would be taking interviews and managing the course.
With Debbie’s help to apply and prepare for the interview, Skye was accepted on to the course.
Skye explained: “When Debbie first suggested we investigate college as a next step I shut the idea down but, once I found out more and I started to visit her there for meetings, I got used to the environment and realised it’s not the same as school. I saw the other students expressing themselves and I knew it would be a place where I could be myself.”
Since then, Debbie has been there to support Skye on all her next steps, helping her successfully apply to take a Childcare course, which she is on track to complete.
Debbie has also used her connections to help Skye access a volunteering role at a community café and youth club, which has enabled her to gain certificates in Food Hygiene and First Aid.
Skye added: “What I’ve achieved is because of Debbie’s support. She’s very kind and understanding, reliable and I can trust her with anything. I am always recommending to my friends in college that they drop in to speak to Debbie if they need the help she can give.”
