Danny lands a dream job thanks to scheme
AFORMERLY unemployed dad has transformed his life and landed his dream job thanks to a training scheme.
Father-of-two Danny Drayson is now a senior fitness coach, after being inspired to join Life Leisure’s Motivator scheme.
Danny struggled at school and dropped out at 16. Despite having a number of jobs with family and friends, he never had a contracted role and often found himself out of work.
But he caught the fitness bug while working out at a Life Leisure gym, and when he found out about the scheme, he jumped at the chance to take part.
After volunteering with the organisation for three months, he qualified to receive certified training in his chosen area – fitness instruction
Danny quickly realised there was more to the qualification than understanding fitness. It involved maths, English and communication skills that he’d never really developed because of his school experience.
Danny said: “I nearly gave up at that point because I felt I’d never be able to do it. But I’d just become a dad and wanted to make sure I could provide for my daughter.
“It took time, but after a while I found I was able to answer the questions. In fact I started to perform really well. By the end of my Level 2 Fitness Instructor qualification I was top of my class.
“When I started this journey, I had a basic knowledge of fitness and very limited social interaction skills. This job has changed me completely. You can’t be shy when you find yourself in front of twenty 70-year-old ladies looking at you to lead their aqua aerobics session!
“When someone walks through that gym door, I know it could have taken them 20 years to pluck up the courage to do it. The first person they meet and interact with is usually an instructor and if that experience isn’t welcoming, supportive and happy, it might mean they never come in again. I love having that responsibility. I honestly don’t think any other career would give me that job satisfaction.
“If it wasn’t for Life Leisure giving me that initial break and working with me, I would probably be in a dead end job, unhappy and lacking in confidence. Instead, I have the best job in the world, I’ve been able to provide for my family and move to a new house. I couldn’t be happier.”