Blesma Member who lost his job due to the coronavirus pandemic has found new employment thanks to the support of a number of charities.

In March, Dominic Howells was a self-employed first aid trainer, but when the UK went into lockdown and businesses began to close temporarily, Dominic quickly found himself out of work.

“A few weeks before lockdown began all the work dried up,” said Dominic, who served in the Royal Engineers for six years and lost the sight in his left eye after a road
traffic accident in 1992.

“I soon found myself in a position where I didn’t know when the next money was coming in. I didn’t know how I was going to pay for food, bills or rent, and I had a lot of debt pressures. I had to make a decision; was I going to wait around for work, or do something about it? That’s when I plucked up the courage to phone my BSO.”

Support Officer Tom Hall was able to support Dominic with a grant to cover bills before referring him to The British Training Board (TBTB) and The Poppy Factory, who
helped him identify his key skills. Thanks to Blesma funding, the TBTB then fast-tracked Dominic through qualifications in Level 3 Safe Guarding, Mental Health
First Aid, and Paediatric First Aid with their Career Development Programme, and helped him with his job searching and interview prep. Blesma even provided Dominic with a laptop so he could update his CV and complete his TBTB training.

On 01 June, Dominic started his new job as a project coordinator with The Family Foundation in Llanelli, where he will be working to provide employment support
to veterans and their families.

“The journey has been huge. In just one month, I’ve completed four qualifications and have found a new job, which is awesome. All the experience I have been through to
gain employment will now help me in my new role. I can empathise with my clients because of that. I can’t express how much the support of these charities has helped
my family.”

Blesma, Careers Wales and TBTB are also supporting Dominic with funding to further enhance his education. He is now studying towards L4 Education & Training, L4 Project Management, and L3 Facilities Management qualifications, all of which are relevant to his career development plan and beneficial in his new role.

To find out about how Blesma can support you please speak to your Support Officer