Brighter future for homeless Portsmouth man after free forklift truck training in Shaping Portsmouth scheme

Gustas Pipyne had 18 years of driving experience but when his licence expired in the middle of the Covid pandemic, he found himself unable to pay the large fee to redo his training. Without the means of finding employment the 36-year-old lost his only means of income - and then lost his home.

But, under Shaping’s Choose Employability Programme, Gustas was paired up with Hilsea-based 2 Start Training and now has a brighter future ahead.

"I am really happy,’ said Gustas. ‘I can't say anything more than thank you so much to 2 Start. They do lots of courses and Jane, my trainer, was very good and explained everything so well. I now feel that I can do any job that I will enjoy doing.”

Choose Employability, part of not-for-profit Shaping’s programme of adding social value to the city, is working with homeless people looking for opportunities for work and accommodation. The scheme is partnered with homeless charity Society of St James and potential training providers, which is where 2 Start Training stepped in.

The company offered Gustas full training across two days - for free - with the course tailored to meet the experience he already had. He passed the relevant tests and will be certified to restart his career as a qualified Counterbalance forklift operator.

Jack Day, centre manager at 2 Start Ltd (Portsmouth), said: ‘We helped Gustas regain his Counterbalance certificate that he otherwise may not have been able to obtain, prolonging his circumstances. We are happy that the team at 2 Start has fast-tracked his return to work, with the further satisfaction that we have given something back to our local community.’

2 Start Ltd was established in November 2008 by managing director Paul Moon and now has five training centres in Portsmouth, Southampton, Reading & Worthing. Its courses cover training for students in LGV/HGV and forklift trucks locally and nationally.

Lucy Potts, senior support worker at Society of St James, said: ‘Gaining qualifications builds self-esteem, confidence, motivation and ultimately happiness. This opportunity has been fantastic for Gustas and demonstrates how charities and local businesses can build relationships that can really change lives.’

Sam McGrath, head of partner and programme development at Shaping Portsmouth, said working with Gustas confirmed the strength it has in the city. She added: ‘Everyone shows up for Shaping Portsmouth with the attitude that everything is achievable when we work together. Gustas was one of 17 clients we met back in February. I left the meeting feeling excited to help him - and that’s exactly what we did.’’

Choose Employability is one of the many skills and employability initiatives run by Shaping Portsmouth. Last year it teamed up with The News to run the highly successful 100 in 100 campaign which saw more than 250 young people find job placements in the city. The campaign initially aimed to create a total of 100 roles in 100 days – however it surpassed its target and expectations, securing an incredible 265 places.