Getting Ready

Start where you are. Take the next step.

A calm, practical guide to work and training in Wales. Explore options, build evidence, apply, start work, understand your first pay, and get help if something goes wrong.

For young people in Wales aged 14–25. You do not have to share anything about your care experience to use this page.

Find your next step Talk to a person

What do you want to do next?

Pick the option that feels closest. You can change your mind.

  1. Explore options
  2. Get experience
  3. Find a job
  4. Apprenticeship or training
  5. Start a business
  6. I’ve been offered a job
  7. Something is wrong at work
  8. I’ve left or lost a job

You do not have to figure this out alone

Need documents, travel, money or local support? Get practical help.

Talk to a person
01

Explore

You do not need to choose your whole future today.

Interests, questions and small experiments are useful starting points. A conversation can help you notice options without committing to one career.

Start here

  1. Explore ideas with Careers Wales’ My Future
  2. Write down three things you enjoy, notice or are good at.
  3. Ask Careers Wales about an option that sounds interesting.

What you might need

  • Time to think without pressure
  • Examples from school, caring, hobbies or everyday life
  • A person who will listen without choosing for you
What if I still do not know?

That is a valid place to start. Try one low-pressure conversation or activity. You can change direction later. If the choice feels overwhelming, ask a trusted person or adviser to look at two options with you.

Talk to a person

Careers Wales can help you explore ideas. Working Wales can help with next steps when you are 16 or older.

Official information: My Future and Careers Wales’ Getting a Job hub. Checked on .

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02

Build evidence

Your experience is more than paid work.

Caring, volunteering, study, clubs, gaming, creative projects and solving everyday problems can all help you notice skills. You choose which examples feel safe to share.

Start here

  1. Make a list of three things you have done and what each one shows.
  2. Use Careers Wales’ job preparation guidance to turn examples into evidence.
  3. Ask Working Wales about experience, training and barriers such as travel.

What you might need

  • A notes app or piece of paper for a skills bank
  • A safe way to travel to an activity
  • Clothes, equipment or documents for a particular route
How do I describe a gap or caring experience?

You do not have to explain private history on this page or to every employer. Focus on the skills and evidence you want to share. Careers Wales or a trusted adviser can help you choose a format that does not make you disclose more than you want to.

Talk to a person

Start with Working Wales for advice about experience and barriers. If care-related practical help is part of the plan, ask your Personal Adviser or leaving-care team.

Official information: Careers Wales’ Getting a Job hub and Social Care Wales guidance on successful futures. Checked on .

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03

Apply

Make the advert work for you.

A job advert is a list of needs, not a test of your worth. Match the evidence you have, keep a copy of what you send, and ask for an adjustment early if you want one.

Start here

  1. Choose a CV format with Careers Wales.
  2. Circle the advert’s essential skills and write one example beside each.
  3. Practise interview answers using examples from any part of your life.

What you might need

  • The closing date and a safe way to contact the employer
  • A referee who is appropriate and safe to ask
  • A quiet place, technology or reasonable adjustment for an application or interview
What about references, DBS checks or care experience?

Requirements depend on the role. A DBS check is not automatic for every job. You can ask Careers Wales, Working Wales or an independent adviser what a specific employer is asking for. Do not share private information just because a form feels unclear.

Talk to a person

Careers Wales can help with applications and interviews. Working Wales can help you think through training, barriers and adjustments.

Official information: Careers Wales’ Getting a Job hub, including personal statements and interview guidance. Checked on .

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04

Learn while you work

An apprenticeship is a job with learning.

There are apprenticeships, courses, employability programmes and other routes into work. Names, vacancies and support rules change, so use the live Wales-wide services before relying on a detail.

Start here

  1. Read what an apprenticeship is.
  2. Search current Wales routes with Careers Wales.
  3. Talk to Working Wales about eligibility, training and practical barriers.

What you might need

  • The real employer, training provider and qualification
  • A plan for travel, documents and your first pay
  • Someone to ask about care-experience support before you accept
Could there be extra support?

Some programmes and apprenticeship routes have their own support. Ask your Personal Adviser or Working Wales to check the current route. Do not assume that a programme’s age, funding or care-experience rules are the same everywhere.

Talk to a person

Use Working Wales for impartial advice. If you are already supported by a leaving-care team, ask your Personal Adviser to include learning, travel and documents in your Pathway Plan conversation.

Official information: Careers Wales apprenticeship guidance and support for care-experienced apprentices. Check that any UK-wide information applies to Wales. Checked on .

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05

Try an idea

Test the idea before you rely on it.

Self-employment can be one option, but it also brings costs and risk. Start with the customer, the work, the numbers and the support around you.

Start here

  1. Talk to Big Ideas Wales about the idea.
  2. Write down who might pay, what it would cost and what you would need first.
  3. Ask a trusted adult or adviser to look at the risks with you before spending money.

What you might need

  • A simple customer and cost list
  • A plan for regular income, housing and benefits changes
  • Time to compare self-employment with paid work or training
What about grants?

Grants and application windows change. Use the live Big Ideas Wales information and ask an adviser to check current eligibility. This page does not calculate a grant or promise that funding is available.

Talk to a person

Big Ideas Wales offers business advice in Wales. Your Personal Adviser can help you think about how a business plan fits with housing, income and practical support.

Official information: Big Ideas Wales and its Young Person’s Start Up Grant page. Check current rules before applying. Checked on .

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06

Before your first day

An offer is worth checking.

Before you rely on a job, check what you are being offered and what you will need to start. It is okay to ask questions or ask someone you trust to read the terms with you.

Start here

  1. Write down the role, pay, hours, place, start date and who to contact.
  2. Read Acas advice on job offers before accepting.
  3. Check the written statement and ask about probation.

What you might need

  • Bank details, identity documents and your National Insurance number
  • Right-to-work or role-specific checks, using current official guidance
  • A travel plan, clothing or equipment plan and a first-day contact
What happens on the first day and during probation?

Ask what success looks like, who will show you the work, when breaks happen and how to raise a question. Keep your offer, written terms and messages. If something does not match what you were told, ask for help early.

Talk to a person

Acas can explain job offers and terms. Your manager or payroll team can explain workplace arrangements. Your Personal Adviser can help with practical preparation.

Official information: Acas job offers, GOV.UK written statements and GOV.UK right-to-work guidance. Role checks can change. Checked on .

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07

Safety and rights

Something is wrong at work.

You deserve to be safe and treated fairly. This page cannot decide a legal case, but it can help you record what happened and reach independent advice.

If you are in immediate danger: move away if you can do so safely, contact urgent help or a trusted person, and use Get Help. Do not confront someone alone if that could increase the risk.

Start here

  1. Keep a factual note of dates, hours, messages, rotas, payslips and who was present.
  2. If it is safe, ask payroll or a manager what will happen next. Do not delay independent advice.
  3. Contact Acas for free employment-rights guidance.

You can ask about

  • Missing or incorrect pay, hours, breaks or holiday
  • Sickness, disability or a reasonable adjustment
  • Bullying, discrimination, harassment, grievance, dismissal or redundancy
What if I need a union or a complaint route?

You can ask a union, Acas or Citizens Advice Wales what route fits your situation. Keep copies of documents and note any deadline they give you. A trusted worker or Personal Adviser can support you emotionally and practically, while independent employment advisers explain rights.

Talk to a person

Start with Acas. You can also use Citizens Advice Wales work guidance or a union. A Personal Adviser or trusted worker can help you make a safe plan.

Official information: GOV.UK pay and work rights, Acas templates and GOV.UK trade union guidance. Legal rules and routes change; get current advice for your situation. Checked on .

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08

Leaving or losing work

You can get support with what happens next.

Leaving a job, being dismissed or redundancy can affect money, housing and confidence. You do not have to make a major decision under pressure.

Start here

  1. Read current Acas advice before resigning if you can.
  2. Keep your contract, notice messages, final payslip and holiday information.
  3. Check what to report if your income changes, with an adviser where possible.

What you might need

  • Notice, final pay, unused holiday and a P45 conversation
  • A plan for rent, bills, food and travel while work changes
  • Independent advice if the ending feels unfair or unclear
What if I was dismissed or made redundant?

Dismissal and redundancy have different processes. Do not assume what you are owed or agree to something you do not understand. Ask Acas or Citizens Advice Wales promptly, and tell your Personal Adviser if housing, benefits or wellbeing are affected.

Talk to a person

Acas can explain leaving and dismissal routes. Citizens Advice Wales can help with work and money questions. A Personal Adviser can help with practical and emotional support.

Official information: Acas resignation guidance, Acas dismissal guidance and GOV.UK changes of circumstances. Benefits and employment rules are personal and time-sensitive. Checked on .

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09

Practical support

Small barriers can be worth asking about.

You may need ID, a bank account, travel, clothes, equipment, a stable address or help understanding benefits. Support varies by place and situation, so ask before spending or relying on a promise.

Local support first

Which council is responsible for your leaving-care support?

This may be different from where you live now. Ask your Personal Adviser or leaving-care team for the right route. If you have moved between councils, do not guess which one is responsible.

Read care-rights and Pathway Plan context

The linked care-rights page is currently English-only. Check with your council; this page does not publish a comparison of unconfirmed local offers.

Start here

  1. Make a list: documents, travel, clothes, equipment, food, money or a safe place to stay.
  2. Ask your Personal Adviser, leaving-care team or trusted worker what can be checked locally.
  3. Use a benefits calculator with an adviser if work or hours change.

Money and first pay

What if I do not have the documents or bank account an employer asks for?

Tell the employer or adviser what is missing and ask what alternative process they use. Your Personal Adviser or leaving-care team may be able to help you identify the right service. Do not send sensitive documents to an unverified contact.

Talk to a person

Start with your Personal Adviser or leaving-care team. For money guidance, use MoneyHelper or a benefits adviser. For housing or a wider crisis, use Get Help.

Official information: Social Care Wales guidance, GOV.UK benefits calculators and MoneyHelper. Local offers need current council confirmation. Checked on .

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Human help

A link is not always enough.

You can ask someone to sit with you, explain a letter, make a call or help you decide what to do next. You do not need perfect words.

Care-experience-specific practical support usually starts with your Personal Adviser or leaving-care team. If you want help from VFCC’s existing services, use the shared site referral action; it is a professional referral form, not a replacement for the routes above.

Need fewer words at a time?

Use the complete easy-read companion.

It covers the same journey in five short groups, with one action at a time and a person to ask for help in every group.

Open Easy Read

Keep it current

What this page is, and is not.

Use the live source

This is general signposting, not personal legal, benefits, tax, pension or financial advice. Rates, rules, programmes, vacancies, contacts and council support can change. Open the original publisher before relying on a detail.

Review record

Page-level editorial review: . Changing source links were checked on the same date by the content and research owner. Detailed source and local-authority publication registers are maintained internally.

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