Ella driving her way to achieving her educational and employment goals
When Ella commenced with National Joblink and ParentsNext in August 2021 she expressed that not having available childcare or a driver’s licence limited her options when it came to work and study. She expressed interest in pursuing an Aged Care course but would be unable to commit to the placement hours required for completion. With support from her ParentsNext Mentor, Tess, in researching alternative education options, Ella decided Education Support would be better suited to her current situation and an area of study she would be interested in pursuing. Tess also investigated with Ella the option of obtaining assistance through the local PCYC for driving support to gain experience on the road, but due to a long waiting list, this was not a viable option. Instead, Tess accessed funding through the ParentsNext Participation Fund to support Ella in purchasing driving lessons. When Ella was ready to go for her manual driver’s test, ParentsNext was able to pay for both her driving test and licence. Ella was so excited to have her licence and was eager to pursue the opportunities this would provide.
Ella continued to engage with ParentsNext and attended the Community Garden group and National Joblink’s Develop Your Brand resume writing short course. Ella had no work experience in Australia and in the early days of the course expressed that she did not believe she had much to add to her resume. Tess assisted Ella during this course to recognise the valuable skills she had gained from her previous administration work in her home country. Ella was extremely surprised and pleased with the quality of her resume and had gained so much confidence through participation in these groups that she advised Tess that she was ready to apply for casual employment next year when her children were at school.
Ella has recently advised Tess that with all the supports she has in place around childcare and transport, that she is ready to commence her Certificate III in Education Support this year and
is looking forward to exploring her options around future employment. National Joblink congratulate Ella on the progress she has made so far and looks forward to support her achieve
her education and employment goals.
