Manchester Evening News

Employers hit ‘like’ after young dad makes appeal for work on Facebook

BIG RESPONSE TO UNEMPLOYED 19-YEAR-OLD’S POST ABOUT STRUGGLE TO FIND A JOB

- By KATHERINE BAINBRIDGE katherine.bainbridge@menmedia.co.uk @KBainbridg­eMEN

THIS is Sam Wainwright.

He’s qualified, motivated and enthusiast­ic – and like so many other young people, he’s struggling to find a job.

Sam has never been out of work since leaving school and never claimed benefits.

But for the first time in his life, he’s jobless and has been battling in vain to earn a living.

The 19-year-old dad-of-two gave up his last post working nights at a hotel after being offered another job – more suitable for his life with a young family – which ended up falling through.

Now unemployed, Sam has thrown himself into searching for a new job.

Over the last three weeks he has applied for dozens of positions. He’s had five interviews and has been offered three positions, but he says each time they have been withdrawn by employers, who say he does not have enough experience.

Rather than moping around, Sam posted a message on Facebook explaining his frustratio­n and asking for help.

The response has been overwhelmi­ng.

His post read: “Never believed in being on benefits when there are people out there worse off, always worked for everything I have and to support my family.

“I am 19 with two children and trying to find my own house, also in a happy and great relationsh­ip with the mother of my children.

“I have a old head on me and I am a fast learner, never go out drinking always turn up for work. I have good grades and great experience.

“They has got to be a company out there looking for someone like this. I have bills to pay. Really starting to struggle. Any help would be amazing.”

Since posting about his situation on Facebook, Sam has been inundated with messages of support and offers of help.

“I have had hundreds of comments and people contacting me for my CV,” he said.

“I have got three interviews lined up already. I would definitely advise other people in the same boat to reach out on Facebook. It has been amazing.

“I just want to be able to get my foot in the door somewhere where I can work hard and move up, hopefully to a management role. I am more than willing to start at the bottom and work my way up.”

He has worked in sales roles, as well as at an electronic­s warehouse, and he has a level three qualificat­ion in electronic engineerin­g.

Until recently Sam had a part-time job as a night porter in a hotel.

After receiving a couple of offers he left his job at the hotel, only for the offers to be withdrawn, leaving him unemployed.

He said: “One place said it was because a reference from a previous job wasn’t good enough, but they wouldn’t tell me any more than that.

“The other offered me the job there and then at the interview, but then rang me afterwards to say they’d looked again at my CV and I didn’t have enough experience.

“It is really dishearten­ing. I am not earning at all at the moment, and I don’t want to claim benefits, but it is not a situation that can go on with two young children to support.”

Sam currently lives with his parents in Sale Moor.

He and his partner Keeley Wilde want to find somewhere they can live together with their two young sons, Jacob John and Jack Lee, but this won’t be possible until he has a full-time job.

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 ??  ?? Sam Wainwright with his partner Keeley Wilde and their sons Jacob John and Jack Lee
Sam Wainwright with his partner Keeley Wilde and their sons Jacob John and Jack Lee

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