Case Study

Dale clicks his way to job success

31 Jan 2022

Manchester’s Dale is rebooting his career after a refurbished laptop helped him to overcome barriers to job hunting. Depression and anxiety took hold when Dale struggled to find employment, but after just three months of support from Ingeus – and a computer from PCrefurb – Dale double-clicked his way to success.
 
Dale, 32, was out of work for over 18 months before being referred by his local Jobcentre Plus to Richard Pundick in the Greater Manchester Working Well (Work and Health Programme) team. The programme, delivered by Ingeus, provides tailored support to individuals with disabilities and health conditions who are seeking employment.
 
“I’d been out of work for far too long,” explains Dale. “I’d reached the point where my anxiety was so bad I didn’t even want to answer the phone. Richard was amazing – he guided me through the whole process of finding work and was a catalyst for getting my mental health back on track.”
 
As well as supporting him with his CV and interview techniques, Richard organised online anxiety workshops for Dale to attend. However, Dale’s lack of a computer was proving a difficult barrier to overcome.
 
Dale recalls, “I was on Universal Credit and couldn’t afford a laptop, so I was using my phone for everything. It was hard because I kept getting distracted with notifications coming through. Richard was able to source me a laptop which made things much easier.”
 
The computer came from PCrefurb – a charity working across Greater Manchester and the High Peak which aims to bridge the digital divide by refurbishing donated IT equipment and redistributing it to those most in need, helping people connect with training and education, and to support their wellbeing.
 
Ingeus and PCrefurb joined forces in 2021 and the partnership has already supplied nearly 30 Ingeus participants with a refurbished device to ease their job search.
 
PCrefurb’s Operations Officer, Julia Norton, says, “For Dale, the laptop will have opened up a whole new way of being able to look for and apply for jobs – just as our equipment has for all the other participants.
 
“One of the biggest challenges we face is maintaining a stock of equipment suitable for refurbishment. Donations of laptops, tablets and smartphones are always gratefully received from individuals and businesses. Please visit our website to find out how to donate.”
 
Almost two months into his new job in a local bar and Dale is grateful for the support he received. He says, “Thank you to PCrefurb for the computer as it helped when my finances were too low to even consider buying one.
 
“My depression and anxiety are better than they were. Richard really helped me to get out of the rut of feeling rubbish – without him, I feel I’d be in a much darker place.”
 
The Working Well (Work and Health Programme) is an initiative commissioned by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority and receives support from the European Social Fund.
 
To find out how to donate to PCrefurb, visit https://pcrefurb.org.uk/refurbishing-and-recycling/#Donate.