Pictured above: David Bell (centre) joins Charles Smart and Dawn Batchelor, of the Staffordshire and West Midlands Probation Trust

An unemployed graduate who found himself in the "classic catch 22 situation" is celebrating clinching a new job after getting a chance to prove himself through an internship initiative.

David Bell became confused and frustrated as he searched for a job supporting disadvantaged people following periods of voluntary work helping homeless people, at a special school and at an aid project in Malawi.

The 22-year-old history graduate, from Billesley, is now a Working Neighbourhoods Fund (WNF) outreach worker at Pertemps People Development Group (PPDG) - helping unemployed people in inner-city Birmingham.

His big break came when he discovered a website promoting the West Midlands Graduate Internships - an initiative set up to give graduates the opportunity to gain six months' work experience and prove their talents within a company.

David said: "I found many of my job applications were rejected due to my lack of experience within the workplace. This classic catch 22 situation of 'no experience no job, no job no experience' just made the whole process of career planning harder and more demoralising.

"My break came one day when I was browsing graduate recruitment websites. I noticed an advert on one such site for West Midlands Graduate Internships - an initiative set up to give graduates the opportunity to gain six months work experience and prove their talents and abilities within a company. I put my CV and details on the website, but didn't expect a response as in my experience graduate websites almost exclusively focussed on traditional career areas such as banking and finance, advertising and HR rather than on community and support work.

"I was very surprised when later that day I received a call from an adviser telling me that they had an internship with Pertemps People Development Group as an outreach worker. Within a couple of weeks I found myself sitting in PPDG's head office, being interviewed for the position.

"During this interview, I mentioned my particular interest in working with ex-offenders. When I received a call from WMGI to say PPDG would like to offer me the internship, I also found out they had decided to place me at their Newtown Advancement Centre where they run a project to help specific target groups - including ex-offenders - access employment.

"I started my internship in early February and felt instantly like I fitted within the company. I found the genuine concern and drive my colleagues had to help people access employment refreshing and I quickly settled into the routines of outreach.

"Just under three months after I started a position in outreach became available at Newtown. I applied and was successful. I'm now grateful that I didn't pass over the WMGI scheme. I didn't think it would do anything for me, but six months down the line I've been proved wrong and I find myself in a job which for me is ideal."

WMGI, supported by eight universities across the region, placed more than 500 graduates into internships from July last year to April 2010.

The Working Neighbourhoods Fund (WNF) is a £115m employment initiative. The WNF is a partnership between Be Birmingham, Jobcentre Plus, Birmingham City Council, and the LSC, which is being delivered across Birmingham by Edgbaston-based PPDG. One of the key features of the project is the strong outreach element which sees employment-based services taken into the heart of communities. Jobseekers can visit one of the city's many PPDG centres or, alternatively, make an appointment for a team member to come out to them and meet at a convenient venue.  

Support available for job seekers through WNF includes: confidence-building and motivation courses, CV preparation and interview techniques, training and opportunities to gain new qualifications. Activities are focused across Birmingham and anyone interested in more finding out further information about how the WNF can be of assistance is asked to contact the team on 0121 454 7231.

Birmingham based employment specialists Pertemps People Development Group is one of the UK's leading providers of Government-funded Welfare to Work initiatives, holding a portfolio of employment related contracts benefiting job seekers across the West Midlands.