When 19-year-old Nicole enrolled on the Health and Social Care Level 2 course at City of Wolverhampton College, she was looking for a work placement that felt meaningful and reflected her passion for helping others. Struggling to find a placement that felt right, Nicole was inspired when the Volunteer Co-ordinator from Wolverhampton’s Good Shepherd charity visited the college. The opportunity to support people facing homelessness, addiction and mental health challenges felt like the right fit. Nicole said:

“The NHS placements seemed too formal, but the Good Shepherd gave me a chance to genuinely interact with people. From my first day, I felt grateful just to be helping others.”

“Through this placement, I became involved with the charity’s LEAP programme, which enables people with lived experience to support others while working on their own recovery and career development. It made me believe I could make a difference!”

“I have experienced many things throughout my life, but during my time so far at college and this work placement, I have found strength in helping others and have begun to pursue my goal of becoming a psychologist. College opened that door for me; it led me to the Good Shepherd and gave me the support I needed to grow.”