As Evolve's free short course programme comes to an end, participants and providers reflect on how the Norfolk-based project has helped people through a challenging time.

Julia and Paul, a couple from Dereham, attended the two-day Next Steps to Success careers course run at City College Norwich. This was a two-day programme that incorporated careers advice, CV workshops, speed networking and interview practice. Julia said: "We are both extremely pleased we attended the course. The two days were very useful. We came away inspired and motivated and with lots of ideas of what we could do next in our job hunt to improve our chances of getting a job."

The inspiration and motivation Paul and Julia took from the course seemed to be a common theme among participants. A fellow participant said: "The speakers were very positive, which has made me feel more positive about the future. I feel more confident and know what I need to do to achieve my goals."

The course provider, Richard Parramint, was surprised at the need for practical careers advice and guidance in Norfolk and said the success of the course, and the enthusiasm generated by the interactive activities it offered, reflected the demand for such provision across the county. He said: "I was taken aback by the low self esteem of some of the delegates. During our discussions the reason for this became evident, as some have been looking for work for long periods of time. It shows how much people's confidence can suffer with the challenges of finding work."

As a result of their experience, Julia and Paul both signed up to take part in Evolve's Skills for the Search workshops, which will further support the couple as they develop their CVs, interview skills and job searching techniques over five weeks of interactive workshops.

Julia has continued to apply for jobs and, using the knowledge and skills she has acquired, has successfully secured an interview for an Events Co-ordinator job. Commenting on her husband's behalf, Julia said that "Working out 'what makes me different' in John Carter's session helped Paul to focus on what he really wants to do and he has also had a couple of chats to Evolve careers advisers at the UEA. He contacted several building surveyors to find out more about the profession and today he is starting a postgraduate building surveying course."

Evolve's short course programme has given crucial support to hundreds of individuals in the last 16 months, as evidence on our feedback page.