Erica’s Story
Erica left school in 2017 and went on to a college course. Unfortunately she didn’t enjoy the course and ended up dropping out. By the time COVID hit Erica was neither in training or working. She found the time during COVID really difficult.
In 2023 she took part in an employment skills course at Newbattle but after this finished she didn’t have further study or employment lined up. Instead she ‘floated’ about. It coincided with some personal challenges for her too. She found this time really hard and by this point was rarely leaving the house.
She started working with Duncan at East Lothian Works who encouraged her to sign up for our first Barista course. The Barista course was the first time that Erica had considered a role in hospitality. It was a small and supportive course that she enjoyed. She learnt how to make coffees on specialist equipment but more than this started to feel more confident and enjoy working in a team.
After the course Erica was encouraged to volunteer at the Fraser Centre in our cafe. This role was incredibly varied and before she knew it she was getting stuck into all sorts of tasks to help with the smooth running of the cafe including doing the dishes, serving customers and of course making coffees!
When a vacancy came up in the cafe she was encouraged to apply. Erica is now working in a paid position with us 3-4 days a week and is now an invaluable part of the team.
‘If it wasn’t for this I’d still be floating about. I’m very happy to be here. It’s been such a long time coming. I left school when I was 16 and I’m now 25! I just always wanted a job I like…..and I’ve nailed it!’
Thanks to Erica for chatting to me and sharing her story 🙂
