Updated: Oct 28, 2021
At the H1 Healthcare Group, we believe there are multiple pathways to success and we want to ensure we offer as many people as possible the opportunity to explore these. That’s why over the last year we are proud to have made a pledge to the Young Person’s Guarantee, a commitment to provide opportunities for all 16-24 year olds in Scotland through jobs, apprenticeships, further and higher education, training programmes and volunteering.
H1 Healthcare Group has managed this through the government backed Kickstart group – offering young people the chance to explore a career in the care industry, both in frontline roles as well as business support roles. Each candidate receives 6 months of paid placement, training and development with a dedicated Kickstart consultant to ensure every Kickstart superstar has the guidance and support they need.
We’ve been blown away by the talent and professionalism we’ve seen coming through the Kickstart programme, so much so that some candidates have already been offered full time jobs within the company! Thomas Woods is one such candidate – originally joining us in a business support role, Thomas has now joined the team full time as the Marketing & PR Assistant!
We sat down with Thomas and asked him a couple of questions about what brought him to H1 Healthcare Group and how he’s found the whole experience.
Before H1
What were you doing before H1? (working / volunteering /benefits) Before H1 I was on Universal Credit trying to find a job for about 3 months.
How did you feel about life? Honestly, before working at H1, regardless of the pandemic, I felt stressed. I felt like a failure to myself and to my family. After applying for probably 70-100 jobs and only having one previous interview, I honestly felt unwanted, or if I had missed my chance.
What were your ambitions?
I didn’t know where or what industry that would be in, I just wanted to make sure I had some form of a creative outlet within my job. Beyond that, my ambitions were low. It was really hard to motivate myself with so many job rejections.
During
How did you hear about the H1 job?
My personal adviser on Universal Credit mentioned about a Kickstart Scheme for H1 Healthcare to do digital media which seemed really interesting, so I applied!
How was the recruitment process?
For me, after I had applied, I had a phone call interview and then at the end of it, I was told when I’d start.
What did you learn?
I learnt a lot about myself and the company during training as well as learning about conflict within work and resilience training. Beyond the training, I’ve learnt a great deal about the healthcare industry, about marketing, about how things work – There is so much!
How did you feel during training?
Honestly, due to lack of confidence prior to getting this job, I felt like I was quite shy and reserved. All training was done via Microsoft Teams, but I very rarely, if at all, turned my camera on, whereas now, in any meetings, it is always on! The group, as a whole, were a really fun, friendly bunch and the trainer, Peter, was so friendly and relaxed that it made training feel so nice and relaxed!
After
What’s the plans for the future?
After 3 months of the Kickstart Scheme, I was offered a full-time role within the marketing department at H1 Healthcare Group, and I am honestly really enjoying it and learning so much!
Would you recommend H1 to your peers?
100% - Everyone I have worked with and spoken to are incredibly friendly and supporting and want to bring out the best in everyone! Great place to work!
Thanks so much for taking the time to chat with us Thomas – we are all thrilled that you’re part of the H1 Family!
Thomas is just one example of many Kickstart superstars we’ve had join us recently, and with the next wave of Kickstart candidates starting in the next week, we can’t wait to see what else the future holds with such an exciting programme!
