Mary's Bottom Line trainees biographies

23 February 2012

Adrian, age 25 from Middleton

Adrian left school aged 16 with no qualifications after battling to overcome his dyslexia and the affect it had on his learning. He's always had artistic flair, loved sketching and designs and so trained as a painter and decorator at college. However, a series of upheavals in his family life meant that Adrian has spent the last few years moving about the country, and has since been unemployed for a year until joining Mary's team of trainees. Most recently he was employed by the local council as a Neighbourhood Warden, a job he loved, but was let go due to cut backs.

 

Andrew, age 20 from Rochdale

Young father Andrew is determined to provide for his fiancée Sarah and baby son Bryan. Andrew has never seen his parents in steady work, and wants a better life for his own family. During his childhood, Andrew and his siblings changed schools several times as his Mum moved from place to place following her break up with Andrew's father. Andrew left school with no qualifications and has never had a proper job.

 

Emma, age 22 from Rochdale 

Emma lives with her boyfriend of seven years; she hasn't had a steady job all her adult life. She left school with seven GCSE's but has never had a particular direction in life.  She is part of a generation of local girls who have been left behind has the factories closed for good.  Emma loves to customise her own clothes, and wants to have proper skills so she can save up for her wedding.

 

Georgina, age 25 from Middleton

Single mum Georgina left school with no GCSEs. Since having her daughter three years ago she has fought hard to earn her qualifications, completing 4 GCSEs at night school. She is now planning to study for her A-levels.  Before her daughter was born she worked in call centres and insurance services. Working at the factory will be her first permanent job since becoming a full time mum.

 

Julie, age 22 from Bury

 Julie comes from a family of machinists, and left school with a passion for Art and Design. She once had aspirations to go to University but now has her heart set on sewing. Both her Mum and her Nan worked in the textiles industry. Julie recently made curtains for her Mum and is a bit of a whizz on her sewing machine, despite having no formal training. Julie was bullied during school for being overweight, and as a result she has never had any confidence, and being unemployed has affected her friendships. She wants to be proud of herself and be able to afford to buy new clothes and repay her parents for always helping her.

 

James, age 21 from Middleton

Former lab technician James lives with his parents and has been unemployed for a year. Despite being out of work he has aspirations to become a success and sees himself as a manager one day. He left college to complete his apprenticeship, gaining an NVQ in Engineering, which resulted in a full-time job as a laboratory technician testing composite  materials for planes and other industry. He hoped to move onto bigger better things as he joined a new company, but the job wasn't what he had hoped for and so he left.

 

Lesley, age 35 from Middleton

The eldest trainee to join the factory, Lesley is from a family of factory workers. Her mother was a flat machinist and her father used to hand-spin cotton.  Lesley's first job was working alongside her Mum as a machinist but failed to stick with it.

Lesley has had numerous jobs throughout her life, including working in a pickle factory and at Manchester Airport, but she has been unemployed for 18 months. Lesley is a passionate musician, self-taught on the guitar and always dreamt of being in a band.

 

Lauren, age 24 from Radcliffe

Lauren is one of eight children and has been unemployed for nine months. She left school with no qualifications and has tried her hand at numerous jobs - from radio presenting to working as a cartoon character in a children's play centre. She has had so many jobs that she worries her CV looks like she never sticks at anything. She says that since she was 16 she hasn't really known which direction she wants her career to take.