Planting a new future
28/03/2007
When Sue first visited MJ (Melissa Jane) at the atWork Australia Spearwood Office, life had not been kind to her. As a result, Sue had developed certain barriers in her life including a panic disorder, very low self esteem and shaken self confidence.
Sue’s first step she took was to gain housing through Homes West, followed by an appointment with atWork Australia as a Job Search Support client with a pending referral to the Personal Support Programme at our Spearwood office.
Immediately, with guidance of her PSP Coordinator, MJ, they investigated the New Opportunities for Women course, run by the local TAFE. This proved to be an excellent decision, resulting in confidence building exercises and tremendous support not only from atWork Australia but also from her fellow course participants.
One expectation of the programme was that each student undertakes a period of work experience, which for Sue, with her passion for plants, occurred in a local nursery. She found this to be a wonderful placement resulting in weekend employment with view to full-time work at a later stage. After completing her ‘NOW’ course she will be transferred to Job Network Services and onto the Intensive Support Customised Assistance (ISCA) programme. This will enable her to receive financial support from the Job Seeker Account, to assist her through the Certificate II in Horticulture.
Life has changed significantly for Sue, since she first walked into the Spearwood office of atWork Australia all those weeks ago. Her confidence has grown tremendously, she smiles a lot now, her skills have improved and she has employment and future training planned to increase both her opportunities and employment prospects. “It is stories like these that make our work worthwhile” said Melissa Jane, Sue’s PSP worker.