My role as a coach is to provide support to a young person to help them successfully move from school into the workplace. Part of that is one-to-one and group coaching and working with home to help goals come to fruition and overcome any challenges there. I also work closely with the school, with the heads of years and with the careers department to ensure a really holistic approach for the young person.

It can be quite hard as coach to walk alongside some of the lives that our young people have but it is such a joy to see them overcome their challenges.

Some of my best days are when a young person comes in and they’ve completed their goals, they’ve finished their CV, they’ve had a practise interview and it’s gone well, and the joy of my role is seeing a young person leave a session standing an inch taller than when they came in.

Working as a ThinkForward coach in a school is not just about working with the young person in front of you. It’s a real opportunity to support the school and the community on a wider level. We can intervene where teachers and school staff might not have the capacity – we can have those conversations to help a young person find a solution for a problem.

What motivates me is that I believe young people are our future and I believe that they can have such an impact, not only on their own lives but on the lives around them. I love when I can sit back and think, ‘yes someone is feeling that little bit more confident, someone has that little bit more focus and someone is feeling more prepared for the world of work and their future.