Swindon employment expert Katherine Ashton is in the running for a prestigious national award.
Katherine, pictured, who works as a personal consultant for Working Links, the national organisation providing tailored services to help people maximise their potential, has been shortlisted for the Adviser of the Year award at this year’s ERSA Employability Awards. 
Katherine works on Working Links’ Links to Work programme in Wiltshire, which is funded by the European Social Fund to support so-called ‘harder-to-reach’ jobseekers into work.
She specialises in supporting people with criminal convictions overcome their barriers to work and find suitable, paid employment.
Katherine has also developed great working partnerships with like-minded organisations to help people on their journeys towards work. Alongside partners like drug and alcohol charities, she also worked with the local Community Rehabilitation Company to bring a vast amount of ‘added value’ to their delivery as they look to lead people away from a life of crime.
She said: “I feel very honoured to be nominated for this award and very surprised to be shortlisted. I really enjoy my work and have been in the industry for over nine years working on various different contracts, but this nomination is just amazing.”
Katherine, who has more than seven years’ experience of working in the welfare to work environment, was nominated by Working Links performance manager Helen Saunders.
Helen said: “Katherine has endlessly devoted her time and skills in supporting and developing some of our most ‘harder-to-reach’ customers and had some amazing results, especially with ex-offenders helping them into paid employment.”
Links to Work is a voluntary programme offering people tailored packages of support to get back into employment.
The award winners will be announced at a special ceremony on June 14 in London attended by employment minister Alok Sharma.
