JOSH: Digital Skills & Employability Programme
Josh: Digital Skills & Employability Graduate
*To protect identities, images are not specific to the stories and names may be changed.
Josh’s Journey to The Social Switch Project:
Josh joined Digital Skills & Employability Programme after graduating with a degree in Computer Science. Despite his strong academic background, he struggled to break into the tech industry. He was approaching the age limit for many graduate schemes and faced repeated rejections after interviews. Josh felt increasingly uncertain about how to move forward.
Josh wanted guidance, clarity, and a better understanding of how to present himself in a competitive job market. When he attended a local job fair, Josh met the team from The Social Switch Project and decided to join the programme to get the support he needed.
Finding Josh Support:
After enrolling, Josh was matched with a Career Mentor who worked closely with him to strengthen his employability. Together, they strengthened his CV and cover letter, helping Josh showcase his technical abilities, academic achievements, and transferable skills in a way that resonated with employers.
Josh engaged in regular 1–1 career coaching sessions, covering job search strategy, cover letter development, application support, and targeted interview preparation. He worked through problem-solving tasks, live coding exercises, and behavioural interview questions - areas that had previously been challenging during multi-stage interviews.
Josh showed commitment throughout his time on the programme. He engaged consistently, applied feedback, and gradually improved his confidence. His hard work paid off, and Josh secured a role as an Associate Software Engineer with a global technology.
To support his transition into employment, Josh continued receiving in-work guidance from his Careers Mentor, including travel support during his first month so he could fully settle into his new role.
Outcomes:
Josh is now thriving as an Associate Software Engineer, steadily expanding his technical skills and making the most of the opportunities available to him. The tailored guidance and structured support he received helped him move from uncertainty to achievement, laying a strong foundation for a successful career in tech.
In his own words:
“The support from the Social Switch Project has been very helpful especially with guidance, check-ins, and assistance with travel costs. It made the transition into my new role much smoother. My situation has been arduous long period of unemployment and my personal life and family situation were not the best therefore applying for job was difficult mentally. However, having Social Switch personally helped when it came to keeping on track of things, finding the right opportunity, and interview prep, which helped me in starting my career in tech.”
Find Out More:
Learn more about our Digital Skills & Pre-Employability Programme here