When Olivia was diagnosed with cancer, she was working in finance full time. But when she had to use her holiday days to attend radiotherapy appointments, she knew it was time to leave. She didn’t know what opportunities would be available to her during her treatment though and she wasn’t sure what her next step should be.
During her care at The Christie, Olivia saw an advert for The Christie Charity Education & Employment Programme. Created to support young people whose education and career plans have been disrupted by cancer, the programme helps young people rebuild their confidence, develop new skills and access opportunities in education, employment and volunteering.
Working through strong partnerships with employers across Greater Manchester and a commitment to holistic support, the initiative is also funded by The Christie Charity thanks to a generous grant from The DDC Group. The programme recently won Community Initiative of the Year 2026 at the GM Skills Awards.
After Olivia saw the advert for the programme, she got in touch with Stephen Harcourt from the Teenage and Young Adult (TYA) service. Stephen helped Olivia apply for several AQA qualifications to put her in a good position for when she was ready to re-enter the workplace. Through the programme, Olivia also mentored other young people, which built up her confidence.
Stephen then organised an interview for Olivia with a local finance company that the Education & Employment Programme works closely with. She impressed the company and was offered a position as employee benefits admin.
Olivia said this opportunity helped to secure her a new career pathway, and she’s now working towards becoming an employee benefits consultant. She’s since moved to another company in a more advanced role, and she credits the Education & Employment Programme’s support for her successes.
Because of the support she received from the programme, Olivia wanted to give something back to The Christie. Through her previous role, she took on a skydive, a Born Survivor obstacle course and the Manchester 10k for The Christie Charity.
“Prior to entering this job role, I didn’t know the market even existed, and I didn’t know what I wanted to do “when I grew older” and it’s quite unnerving. Having this opportunity not only opened a door into a whole new world but it has made me grow into myself as a person and as a professional through the people I meet and speak to on a daily basis and that is ongoing to today, all thanks to the support from the employment programme.
