Gary

Almost 20 years ago, I moved a couple of hours south to London with just two black bags of clothes, to go into rehab. I was homeless, addicted to alcohol and my marriage ended. Life was very hard and I didn’t know what to do. I had worked on building sites and in factories, but never been able to settle anywhere.

After rehab, I wanted to build a different life so I found new friends by doing things like going to church. I was offered an apprenticeship in an IT company, even though I had never even sent an email before. I really had no idea what kind of job it was, and I had very low confidence. I was afraid to answer the phone or to speak to clients, but my boss showed that he trusted me and gradually I began to learn.

I’m still in the same company all these years later, and I now manage a team of helpdesk staff serving lots of different clients.

Because of my own experience, I like training new staff and helping them learn new skills. There are lots of people of all ages who want to learn and have a lot to offer. I’m very honest with them and they know that when I arrived, I found it difficult to do some of the tasks we all do in the team. I trust them and make myself available in the way that my boss did to me.

My life has changed completely. I met a wonderful woman and we have a very happy marriage. Each time we go on holiday, we try to go somewhere we haven’t been before, so I’ve been to some amazing places.

I’m committed to the ethos of our company, and I want to stay here and serve the team and our clients.