Careers Adviser Katie Enstone has appeared on Radio Merseyside this morning to talk about working with young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), and what it means to win a national award for her work.
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Katie is part of the Career Connect team in Sefton that offers support to young people who are currently not in employment, education or training. She has a high success rate working with young people with special needs and helps them to get the opportunities they need to be able to work or go further with their learning.
Katie was recently named Frontline Adviser of the Year at the ERSA (Employment Related Services Association) Awards in London. This morning, she spoke on Kevin Duala’s Radio Merseyside morning show about the work she does and what it means to her.
“Every Day is Different…”
Speaking of her told helping young people with special needs, Katie said: “Every day is different because every young person is unique. I could be in schools and colleges, or I could be working out in the community.
“And the most important thing is getting to know the individual, find out from them what it is that they need and giving young people that boost in self-confidence as well. That’s always the starting point and it really is a privilege then, when a young person starts to trust you enough that you can then help them start off on their journey.
“But it’s not just about making that long-term career choice. That can be quite overwhelming and can be a barrier. There is the pressure of having lots of people saying to them, in a very positive way, “What are you going to do?“. So we break it down and we look at shorter term goals.”
Katie Enstone (L) spoke to Radio Merseyside presenter Kevin Duala (R).
You can listen to Katie’s full interview with Radio Merseyside via the link below. The interview starts at the 01:22:53 mark.
