BBO Steps to Work are the lead organisation on two Building Better Opportunities (BBO) Projects which aim to help people overcome their barriers and reach their individual goals with expert help and guidance. If you would like to speak to us about either of these projects, you can call us on 01922 627555 or view our list of partner organisations here to find out who you can speak to about accessing the project. The BRIDGES Project Steps to Work are the lead organisation on the BRIDGES project, which covers the Black Country area offering support for people to overcome their barriers no matter and move closer to the job market. Steps to Work has received over £10.5 million from the Big Lottery Community Fund and the European Social Fund to run the project for three years, alongside partner organisations across the Black Country. EVOLVE Steps to Work are the lead organisation on the Evolve project, which offers the same support to participants in East Staffordshire. It covers Cannock, East Staffordshire, Lichfield and Tamworth. The project has received over £3 million from the Big Lottery Community Fund and the European Social Fund to run the project for three years alongside partner organisations across East Staffordshire. Home BRIDGES Evolve Blog Case Studies Our Funders Sign Up Our Delivery Partners BBO Without your help I don’t know where I would be today! Bridges case study “Without your help I don’t know where I would be today! Again, thank you all so much!” Atanas joined the Bridges Project in 2017. On registering, he appeared quite reserved and introverted, a man of few words. His English was limited and he was keen to improve his spoken English so he could be confident to apply for work, as this was one of his barriers. He was an IT Infrastructure Manager in his native country of Bulgaria, but unfortunately, his work experience and previous qualifications are not recognised in the UK. With the support of his Bridges Project Officers, Janet and Sharon, with one to one sessions, CV writing and job searching he received ongoing support to get him started on his journey to success. Atanas experienced some unforeseen circumstances whilst on the project, where he required urgent accommodation after becoming homeless. This did not deter him from pursuing his goals. He eventually found accommodation through the help and support of the Community church group. Atanas volunteered and assisted as IT Support at GSCC, this helped him communicate more effectively with others and built his confidence. He was able to also support other service users in the IT suite who experienced any IT problems. He dealt with IT troubleshooting issues and managed to fix all the computers in the IT Suite, which was a great challenge and accomplishment for him and the Community Centre. He truly has been a great asset to the Community Centre and the Bridges Project. His confidence increased daily and interacting with the staff and users was a marvellous achievement for him. He has independently job searched, applied online for vacancies and attended numerous interviews. Although he has not yet had success with his interviews it has built his self-esteem and confidence. He went on to complete further online courses in IT. Atanas is now in the process of building up his clientele by repairing electronic devices, he is hoping in the future to run his own IT repair business. In February 2019, Atanas attended the BBO Bridges Celebration Event in which he was a runner up for his achievement and commitment whilst on the project. Well done Atanas!