Callum Smith, on course for a life changing future

We’ve all had trials and tribulations in life, though it appears some more than others. Our second NSA case study, Callum Smith, had been one of those unfortunate people until starting at Nottingham Skills Academy towards the end of last year...

Callum, who is 26, said that he’s done a little bit of everything during his working life. At the age of 16, and a short time after his dad had walked out, his mum told him to sling his hook, so he began cold calling for £90 per week, which he said: “Gave me confidence”.

However, Callum eventually ended up going to college, which he said: “felt forced”, as he admits that’s he’s never been good at one thing. “I’ve always had my fingers in so many different pies and didn’t want to commit to anything” he told us.

Callum said that he never took life to serious, but about four years ago he found himself homeless. With his last £20 he got his friend to take him to YMCA Greater Nottingham (Worksop), as there were no rooms available at Nottinghamshire YMCA. With no friends or family, and no phone to contact anyone he knew, Callum started his life over again in the unfamiliar town, saying “I was just grateful of a bed and a shower.”

After being at the Worksop YMCA for while, his personal belongings were stolen including his Grandad’s scarf, which he treasured so much. Callum sought solace in the local church, who he said were lovely, and they put him on to the Job Centre to help him find some work. However, the YMCA advised him that if he got a job, his rent would skyrocket, exhausting all his income.  

When Callum started playing football he made some new friends, one of whom told him to leave YMCA and come and live with him. The shared rent enabled Cullum to get SIA training through the Job Centre and find a job supervising doors, then on to CCTV, and then fixing InPost lockers remotely, which he said: “Made me depressed as I was doing the same thing every day.”

After that, Callum hopped from job to job, working on pub and nightclub doors, and at football matches, but as he was paid off the books, he couldn’t document his earnings correctly. He also worked in Health and Safety in Barnsley and in Sheffield, but then the flat he and his friend were sharing got sold underneath them...

Facing the prospect of homelessness for a second time, Callum rang his mum, who he’d now built a better relationship with. She said she wouldn’t let him become homeless again, picked him up and brought him back to Nottingham.

Callum again worked in security, then trading foreign currency in a travel agent, but he admitted that it wasn’t for him. Towards the end of last year, he his broke ankle, tore the ligaments in his shoulder, and "piled on loads of weight". He was struggling to find work until he met Sally Leverton, NSA’s Sales and Engagement Coach. After being given her name, when he was handed our Introduction to Construction and CSCS course flyer, Sally came walking into the Job Centre, out of the blue, at that precise moment, “Like it was fate”, he smiled.

Callum breezily told us: “I considered myself a horrible person, but since being here, I’ve got my act together. I’d been abusing alcohol, using weed every day, and smoking since I can remember. I’d sometimes wake up in hospital after I’d blacked out from drinking. But I’m now tee total and sober from everything, including the fags, and I’ve accumulated a bunch of good habits. I’m reading in my spare time, working out every day, and eating healthy. Since the new year I’ve lost a stone in weight!”

He continued: “Sober feels good. I feel like myself again. Mum has said that there’s been such a big change in me since. I’ve also started boxing, which is helping my anger issues. I’m calmer and I’ve found discipline through repetition.

Despite having a four-year-old daughter that his ex-partner has cut all his and his families contact from, and the underlying anger from his mum and dad’s separation, he said: "I’m stubborn. There’s been times recently that I’ve wanted to give up but I’m not a quitter. This course and my love of music have kept me going."

Talking about his experience at the academy this far, Callum said: "I love the banter that working in construction industry brings. Tutor Scott Clary makes me laugh, always full of japes. My CSCS tutor Steven White has been brilliant, and P&D tutor Jon Gates has been really patient with me. I didn’t even know how to load a paint brush till I took the course. I’ve learnt so much. Everybody’s great, and without it I wouldn’t be sober now.”

When asked about his next steps, after his P&D course ends, he said: "I love painting and decorating, but I’m not sure what I want to be in the long run… On the radio”, he laughs [a big talker this one]. “I don’t function without music. I also like to write music. I’ve even performed on stage.”

Wherever your qualifications take you Callum, we all wish you a wealth of luck and success for the future.