Case Studies

Kirsty Oysten, 20 from Hornsey, North London

Kirsty signed up to TAG after spending several years in and out of colleges, unable to see the light at the end of the tunnel and not sure of her direction. Before joining TAG Kirsty was claiming Job Seekers Allowance and not finding work that inspired or motivated her.

Kirsty’s friends started to go to university or finish college and she felt like she lacked confidence and was being left behind. Kirsty didn’t know how to get herself motivated and felt that she was wasting time. She is now being paid to train as a fitness instructor as part of a charitable scheme run by TAG that will see her get a level 2 Level Health and Fitness Instructor qualification, enjoy a four month paid work placement and build a career in the health and fitness industry.

She says:

“I left school at 16 and wanted to find a route to a career but nothing I was doing seemed to fit. I tried going to college but it didn’t seem to go anywhere and so I dropped out. For the last few years I’ve had bad luck, as I began to lack the confidence I needed to go forward. Now that I’ve started TAG I realise that it was a something I needed to go through as I know I really want this and have found a new sense of direction in my life.
TAG will help me get the experience I need to follow a career in the fitness industry. Before I felt like I was wasting my time and didn’t want to do the things that I was asked to do at college. Now I know there are lots of people behind me, helping me and willing me to succeed. This makes me feel more determined and driven.”

When Kirsty finishes TAG she will have both the practical skills she needs to start a career and the ‘soft skills’ that will make her attractive to managers in the fitness industry. TAG is about skilled apprenticeships, not a sausage factory of further education.