It’s a wrap - happy outcome for fast food worker Ryan
Ryan, a neurodiverse individual from Oldham, has successfully secured full-time employment at McDonald's Elk Mill through the Upturn programme, a National Lottery-funded initiative aimed at supporting marginalized groups. The programme, which concluded after three years, helped 780 people by providing work placements, education, mental health support, and confidence-building. Key achievements include 279 people securing work, 429 enrolled in education, and 719 improving self-confidence. The approach involved community outreach, including a campervan named Hope, to engage those unable to access town-center services.
Ryan, a young man from Oldham whose autism once made school a daily struggle, has swapped the classroom for a full-time job at McDonald’s after a National Lottery-funded outreach scheme met him “where he was at.”
The 780-participant Local Change programme, run by social enterprise Upturn, deliberately avoided town-centre offices and instead sent community workers—sometimes in a campervan named Hope—directly to estates and living rooms to reach carers, people with mental or physical health conditions and others whom official figures show are least likely to work. Co-founder Maria Williams said the tactic was simple: “Some of those individuals are so disadvantaged they cannot afford the bus fare into town… or have lost the confidence to even venture out of their front door.”
Across its three-year span the project placed 279 people in jobs, enrolled 429 in education or training, helped 273 improve their mental health and boosted the self-confidence of 719. Ryan’s placement at the Elk Mill McDonald’s turned into a permanent contract, while Callum, who had a rocky school career, used a taster at Jenkin’s Autos in Royton to secure a motor-vehicle apprenticeship. A visually impaired participant now employed by the Probation Service praised Upturn for “funding for transport and prepare-for-interview coaching,” adding: “We don’t want handouts, we need long-term, realistic support that meets people where they are.”
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