Overcoming barriers leads to finding a pathway to employment
Participant “S” started with National Joblink (NJL) and ParentsNext in September 2021 and stated that they were concerned about ParentsNext and did not understand what was involved. They were worried about who would care for their children if they had to go to work and required the services of a translator to communicate.
At their first meeting the ParentsNext mentor and participant discussed barriers which included limited English skills, lack of confidence, no previous employment history, lack of transport and no driver’s licence, no suitable childcare, lack of accredited education and qualifications, no resume and lack of IT skills. Together they created a pathway to start working on these.
Due to the participants transport barrier and lack of available services to address this, NJL offered driving lessons through the NJL Driving School. With the NJL Driving School Instructor, ParentsNext mentor and participant communicating frequently with each other, the participant was comfortable, confident, and best placed to attempt to pass their provisional test. After 14 lessons, the participant went for and obtained their provisional driver’s licence! In the participants own words “I do not believe it, I passed! I did not think it would ever happen, thank you!.” The ParentsNext mentor was able to financially support by accessing the ParentsNext Participation Fund to cover the cost of the driving lessons and provisional licence.
Through regular appointments and discussions with their ParentsNext mentor and the local Migrant Resource Centre, a variety of education options were explored and it was identified that a Certificate II in Hospitality would open up employment opportunities and provide them with the ability to complete studies online while still being able to care for their children. To support the participant with this upcoming course, they attended NJL’s Digital Skills short course to build confidence and competence when using technology. The participant attended all five sessions and significantly improved their skills in using Microsoft applications, online safety and security and IT knowledge. The participant later acknowledged that they “loved doing the Digital Skills course” and “learnt a lot which I can put into action with my study.” ParentsNext also supported by purchasing a laptop with a Microsoft package through the ParentsNext Participation Fund to enable the participant to complete their Certificate II in Hospitality online.
In late 2023, the participant was ready to start applying for jobs and with the assistance of their ParentsNext mentor, they updated their resume, worked on interview skills, and got a job working in an aged care facility as an aged care support worker! To support the participant with this new employment, the mentor accessed the ParentsNext Participation Fund to help obtain a Working with Vulnerable People Card, work clothes and fuel to get to and from work.
Participant “S” has made significant strides since joining National Joblink and ParentsNext and the team at National Joblink celebrate this participants journey and look forward to providing continued support into the future.
