David hits the big time...

David Smith attended SPEAR in the Spring of 2004 and flourished on the programme. Here he writes an account of his life so far and his amazing new job!

David writes. "At 11 years old alcohol problems in my family caused my brother and I to be put into government care. At 12 we were placed with a foster home at which point life improved as we experienced a stable family environment. My schooling saw a definite improvement and I realised how different life could be with stability, love and support. For the first time in my life, I went on a holiday.

I left school at 16 with 2 GCSE C Grades in Maths and Science and took a cleaning job while studying for an NVQ Level II certificate in IT. Despite passing the qualification, I had no clue which way to take my career, I didn't have one!. There was very little good career advice around. I was advised to just take any job without concentrating on any particular field, which I proceeded to do.

Over time, I took on a couple of sales positions but ultimately found them unrewarding with no job satisfaction. I attempted going back to college to study Business but found I couldn't afford the high rent in the hostel I was living in if I wasn't working so soon dropped out and was doing anything I could to keep up rental payments or lose my accommodation. This backfired on me as I was made homeless in late 2003.

It was a few months later that I was in the job centre applying for a Crisis Loan when I had a chance meeting with Jo from SPEAR. Jo explained the course to me and it sounded like just what I needed - help in getting career direction and forging a relevant career for myself, rather than skipping from one job to the next without any goals or targets.

SPEAR, with its unique teaching methods, helped me to realize my skills and the potential I have to find a fulfilling career in my chosen field. I loved studying for my qualification and scored 93% in my exam which was really exciting.

At the end of the programme SPEAR offered me a unique opportunity to undertake a three month training contract with a communications consultancy MEC Global. It was the opportunity of a lifetime and I threw myself into it. It was a tricky start. In my first week there my mother passed away from serious alcohol abuse but the company was kind enough to give me a week out before I returned to complete my placement.

On my birthday, the day before my placement was due to finish, MEC offered me a position of Accounts Executive within the sponsorship department working on activities relating to Sport, Media, Music, and The Arts - increasing client's brand image/profile, via the media. Five months on, I have been constantly learning whilst at MEC. The day-to-day work is never the same and I relish the diversity of the workload and the flexibility of my role.