“I’ve grown in confidence”

Beth Jamieson, 23, works as a marketing assistant at The Chocolatarium after she was recruited through Kickstart

“I graduated in photography from Edinburgh University last year, straight into the pandemic. I was looking for jobs to do with my degree or anything, but it was a struggle in the middle of a pandemic.

“My work coach told me about the Kickstart job, for a marketing assistant with a focus on photography – marketing with social media, websites and content creation, which I’d done in my degree so I thought it was worth a shot.

“Working here has helped me financially, but also with my confidence – I call it my first ‘big girl job’ because it’s related to my degree. Learning within the context of the job you’re working in is really helpful. With other jobs you might be thrown in at the deep end – there’s more support with Kickstart.”