John Twinn, from Coventry, had been out of work since 1992.

The 53-year-old had suffered with spondylitis for many years which left him reliant on incapacity benefits and led to anxiety and depression. John also felt his age was against him and his confidence had hit rock bottom.

On joining Serco’s Work Programme, John was assigned to Groundwork West Midlands to help him back into work. His adviser, Sharon, helped him build his CV, focusing on his key attributes and selling himself. She also assisted with his job-searching and generally encouraged him to focus on what he can do and be positive about the future.

A customer-facing position came up with Tesco, ideal for John to make use of his excellent people skills and clean driving licence. Sharon helped John apply and prepare via mock interviews, and soon John secured a Customer Delivery Assistant with Tesco on a full-time basis.

John said: “I’m really grateful to Groundwork for everything they’ve done, since then I got married, lost over 3 stone and my whole life has changed!”