Catherine joined atWork Australia Busselton in February 2020. Her partner recommended our Disability Employment Services to her in regards to assisting with her career aspirations, including upskilling and building her confidence.
From regional WA, Catherine, aged 31, lives with a mental health condition, hearing loss and asthma. Living away from a metropolitan area made the job search challenging for Catherine as she found advertised jobs were ‘snatched up’ quickly and she felt she lacked the formal qualifications for many roles – having had only casual cleaning experience.
Catherine states that she also struggled with limitations in literacy and numeracy, short term memory and concentration. She says, “I lacked confidence and energy with looking for work before joining atWork Australia”.
Busselton-based Job Coach, Robert, enrolled Catherine into a Community Services course which provided her with a broad overview of units to give Catherine an idea of future employment opportunities, as well as building confidence and increasing her employability.
COVID-19 hit soon after Catherine started her course and her Job Coach offered immense phone support to ensure she was doing well personally on top of her adjustments to the course now being taught remotely.
With the Busselton site growing quickly, Catherine was introduced to her new Job Coach Kristie who engaged Catherine into the atWork Australia Jobs Now Program, one-on-one, and throughout these sessions assisted Catherine with job searches, methods to cope with stress and pressure, and techniques to listen and follow instructions.
In early 2021, Kristie marketed Catherine for a Laundry Worker role; feeling it would utilise her strengths including attention to detail, problem-solving and working in a team. Catherine now works 15 hours per week which gives her a good balance between work and continuing her studies.
When Catherine found out that she was successful for the job, she said: “I was so happy! It was very exciting; I was nervous about being in a new industry but I couldn’t wait to tell my mum and my partner!”. After a few weeks in her role, she adds: “I’m enjoying it. I also don’t need to be stressed about my bills now – I’m ahead with it all and feel secure”.
Catherine describes her employment journey with atWork Australia as “I had a great experience. I was always provided with good service, and felt understood and listened to”.
Kristie provides post-placement support by checking in with texts and calls and inviting Catherine into the office to touch base and to ensure that everything is going smoothly.
Kristie adds proudly: “It was great to witness Catherine’s dedication to her self-development and upskilling throughout her atWork Australia journey. Despite COVID-19 occurring within weeks of Catherine’s start with us, she was focused on her goal of committing to her Community Services course, all of her appointments and remained open-minded to ideas of different industries and jobs.”
Every year, atWork Australia helps thousands of clients like Catherine expand their skills and qualifications to help them gain the right job with the right employer. Call us today on 1300 080 856 or enquire online to find out how we can help you meet your career goals.
