80-year-old Salford veteran lands dream role thanks to personalised employment support

• A former RAF pilot aged 80 found a new job after struggling to get responses from employers.
• Tailored support from Working Well: IPS Primary Care helped him rebuild his confidence and target the right roles.
• Owen now works with older people and young people in care, using his life experience to make a difference.

A veteran from Salford is proving that you’re never too old to follow your dreams.

At the start of the year, Owen Hammond had one goal: to return to work. But there was a catch. Owen is 80 years old, and like many jobseekers his age, he faced a series of all too familiar obstacles and setbacks.

Job search challenges for older workers

Employers often failed to even respond to his applications, and at one point he began to wonder whether his date of birth was to blame. 

Not one to be deterred, Owen decided he needed some extra support in his quest to find a job. That’s when he enrolled on the Working Well: IPS Primary Care programme.

The triage team paired Owen with Charlotte Evans, a local employment specialist who immediately saw his potential. After all, he had decades of experience and wisdom, not to mention a strong sense of civic duty.

Among other things, Owen had been an RAF and commercial airline pilot, a business owner, and a leader in the Air Cadets. 

What’s more, he had spent a lifetime helping others in various guises. For example, Owen had given his time to Broughton House for nearly a decade, interviewing fellow veterans, writing their service histories, and offering companionship to the care home’s elderly residents.

It wasn’t all plain sailing. Besides assumptions about his age, Owen suffered from several health issues following operations on his knee and hip.

Building confidence and finding the right job

Charlotte worked closely with Owen over a few months. Initially, she helped him rebuild his confidence and clarify his goals.

Once they’d made progress on these fronts, Charlotte moved on to identifying realistic roles and opportunities that chimed with Owen’s values and skills, which revolved around helping people by sharing his well-earned knowledge.

It soon became apparent that he was drawn to care, community work, and veterans’ services.

Charlotte helped Owen tailor his CV and applications accordingly, while making sure that his strengths remained at the centre of every conversation with employers.

In May, their persistence paid off.

Starting a new role in care

Owen got an interview for a care role supporting elderly people in their homes and young people with learning difficulties and behavioural challenges.

Afterwards, he sent Charlotte a message: ‘I would like to thank you from the bottom of my heart for getting me back into work at such short notice.’

Owen described the interview as ‘extremely good and friendly’. He explained how the employer had been particularly impressed by his decade of voluntary work with veterans.

Despite understandable questions about his age and recent knee surgery, Owen approached the conversation with confidence and determination, not to mention a healthy dose of humour.

‘The only concerns were about my age, which I refused to reveal, so we had a good laugh about that,’ he recalled.

Thankfully, the employer offered Owen a trial period, and within days he had already begun his induction training.

Making work possible with the right support

Charlotte wasn’t surprised. ‘I knew from the off that Owen had so much to offer,’ she said.

‘His life experience, enthusiasm for serving others, and positive attitude stood out. Helping Owen into work has been incredibly rewarding, and I couldn’t be happier seeing him in a job that reflects his values and allows him to give back to the community.

‘Age doesn’t have to be a barrier to employment,’ Charlotte continued. ‘Owen’s story shows what can be achieved when people get the right support.’

Reflecting on his path back to work, Owen said he had ‘great hope for a future doing work’ which he ‘thoroughly enjoys’ and believes will make him ‘feel useful again’.

The Growth Company

The Growth Company is an award-winning social enterprise with a 35-year history of enabling growth, creating jobs, and improving lives. We help people and businesses to develop, grow, and succeed through a range of employment, skills, and business support services. We provide employment, justice, and health services across the North of England and beyond.

Learn more about the health and wellbeing support that we deliver.