Parvin's story
Up until two years ago, Parvin, 40, had never worked before. As
a mother of four she had been a housewife all her life and found
the prospect of looking for work daunting. However, after
volunteering for the POEM (Partners Outreach to Ethnic Minorities)
programme at the London City & East office of Reed in
Partnership, Parvin was given the support of an Employment Adviser.
After discussing her options, Parvin was encouraged to use her
skills as a tailor to start her own business and was given support,
advice and the materials she needed to prepare for
self-employment.
"I didn't have a clue where to start before I
went to Reed in Partnership - I knew nothing about employment
or getting a job. But they were so supportive, they really helped
me gain confidence and direction. They set me up with interviews to
help me understand how the process works and they even helped
finance shelving, counters and machinery for my tailoring business.
With advice and help from Reed in Partnership, my husband and I
found a commercial venue for our business and through hard work
have been able to make it thrive. Reed in Partnership had a real
understanding of my situation and they helped open doors for me
that I didn't know were there. I'm very grateful to them."
After almost a year and a half, Parvin's business continues to
go from strength to strength. In fact, Parvin is busy setting up a
second business based upon health-food products retail.
Parvin's confidence is high:
"It will take a lot of hard work, but with
determination it will definitely succeed."