Stage Two: Ready and Skilled

Weeks 3–4 of the Six-Week Pathway to Independence Programme. Building confidence, routines, digital skills and practical work or business skills.

🎯

Main Objective

By the end of Week 4, participants should have improved confidence, basic digital capability, a working routine and the practical skills needed for their selected pathway.

3️⃣

Week 3: Confidence, Routine and Digital Foundations

🗓️ Session 1: Building a Realistic Routine

Participants create a weekly structure covering sleep, appointments, recovery activity, training, meals, exercise, work preparation, family responsibilities, rest, outreach or job applications, and mentor contact.

The routine accounts for disability, neurodivergence, health and energy levels. The aim isn't a conventional nine-to-five — it's consistency.

💬 Session 2: Confidence and Communication

Participants practise:

Introducing themselves
Explaining their skills
Asking for support
Speaking to organisations
Making telephone calls
Attending appointments
Handling rejection
Setting boundaries
Professional behaviour
Requesting reasonable adjustments

💻 Session 3: Essential Digital Skills

Creating and using email
Completing online forms
Uploading documents
Using video calls
Online safety
Password security
Cloud file storage
Calendar use
Basic word processing
Basic spreadsheets
Searching for reliable information
Avoiding scams

🤖 Session 4: Introduction to AI

Participants are introduced to accessible AI tools. They learn how AI can help with:

Explaining difficult information
Drafting emails
Planning tasks
Preparing for appointments
Improving spelling and grammar
Writing CV content
Developing business ideas
Creating customer messages
Understanding forms
Practising interviews
Building daily routines

Participants also learn that AI can be wrong, important information must be checked, personal and confidential information should be protected, AI is a support tool — not a replacement for professional advice — and generated content should always be reviewed and personalised.

4️⃣

Week 4: Practical Pathway Skills

Participants now begin work specific to their chosen route from Stage One.

💼

Employment Pathway

CV
Personal statement
Skills profile
Job-search plan
Reasonable-adjustment statement
Interview preparation
Job alerts
Application tracking
Employer research
Remote-working readiness

Week 4 outputs: Completed CV, job-search plan, application tracker, interview preparation sheet

🧑‍💻

Freelance Pathway

Service definition
Target customer
Pricing
Portfolio or examples
Freelancer profile
Payment method
Customer enquiry process
Simple terms
Work schedule
First prospect list

Week 4 outputs: Defined service, basic price, customer profile, simple freelancer profile, prospect list

🚀

Business Pathway

Business idea
Customer problem
Target market
Offer
Pricing
Business name
Business model
Startup costs
Required registrations
Simple business plan

Week 4 outputs: Viable business idea, basic offer, pricing structure, short business plan, startup checklist

🌱

Preparation & Recovery Pathway

Confidence
Attendance
Volunteering opportunities
Supported activities
Continued health or recovery referrals
Digital skills
Basic employability
Personal stability
Next-step planning

Week 4 outputs: Stability plan, referral progress, volunteering or activity plan, updated readiness assessment

Ready for real-world action?

Stage Three puts these skills into practice — real applications, real customers, real progress.