Kristie’s confidence has opened doors to employment
Kristie joined National Joblink (NJL) and ParentsNext in August 2023 and despite being initially shy and having the responsibility of caring for her daughter with ADHD, Kristie was determined to make a positive change in her life and actively participate in her pre-employment journey with her Mentor, Fiona. Recognising the importance of counselling Fiona offered Kristie support and referred her to local support services Anglicare and Beyond Blue. Fiona also accessed NJL’s own Employee Assistance Program, which Kristie declined, but acknowledged by saying she would reach out if she changed her mind in the future.
To further support Kristie, Fiona accessed the Participation Fund to purchase car registration so she could attend her ParentsNext appointments. With each appointment Kristie gained more confidence and realised that her appointments with Fiona were so encouraging that she began to identify various skills that she was interested in acquiring so that she would broaden her employment opportunities. Kristie started achieving this by completing First Aid, RSA & RSG courses. Encouraged by her progress she then enrolled into a Traffic Control course. This led to her successfully obtaining her forklift license with Kullaru Training and Assessment with Kristie stating: “I cannot believe that I had to retrieve 5 huge heavy tractor tyres from the height of a house and actually didn’t die! I am very proud of myself”.
Recognising her potential, Kullaru recommended Kristie for the Heavy Rigid Vehicle Licence, further expanding her job prospects. Fiona was able to access the Participation Fund and support Kristie with this and also purchase appropriate clothing required for these courses. Due to Kristie having an RSA qualification, an opportunity emerged to work at the V8 Supercars corporate event in Darwin. This opened doors for her to gain additional employment during the busy tourist season. Kristie’s dedication and newly acquired skills and confidence have made her an asset to her employers and future employment opportunities.
Kristie recently contacted Fiona for support with appropriate work clothes as she has been successful in gaining employment at the Darwin Corrections Centre. Together, Fiona and Kristie were able to access the Participation Fund to support Kristie with this. Kristie’s first day at Darwin Corrections centre is coming up soon and Kristie is extremely excited to be starting this position and expressed her gratitude to Fiona and the support of ParentsNext and National Joblink.
We wish her all the best in this next step of her journey and look forward to hearing all about her new role.
