Make way for Work My Way
We were proud to commence our new School Leaver Employment Support offering Work My Way in January this year.
The job-ready program offers pre-employment skills, career exploration, and hands-on practical work experience for school leavers and adults who wish to get started on their employment journey.
Brittany is one of the participants. Through the Work My Way program she secured work experience at a Copenhagen Ice Cream store.
“Participating in Work My Way has helped me tremendously to gain confidence and do work experience, as well as put my resume out to as many cafe businesses as possible. That was the one thing I thought I would never be able to do a year or two ago, and yet here I am!” says Brittany.
She says she has learnt a lot about herself since participating in the program.
“I have learnt that I am a visual and verbal learner. If you give me a job to do, I learn by being shown first, then I can give it a go.
“I am not super vocal if I’m not comfortable and I may get very tense in stressful situations.
“I am very kind, have a peaceful personality and I’m hard-working. I have fairly high standards.”
The Work My Way participants meet as a group once a week, then have three hours of weekly one-to-one time with Employment Pathways Trainer Jason Mason.
Jason says it’s been a privilege to work with participants and see their growth socially and emotionally, and the confidence boost they’ve had with their interview skills and communication.
“The strength of character of the participants has been immense. They step out of their comfort zones to bust their goals and attain little wins.”
The participants are supported to gain skills and work experience dependent on where they are at in their job-seeking journey.
Brittany says she really enjoys serving customers.
“It was a little nerve-wracking at first but I gained confidence quite quickly. Being behind the counter made me feel in charge. I kept in mind that I was pleasing customers, so I kept my smile going and would say ‘Have a great day!’ as a leaving message.”
Brittany says her dream job at the moment is to be a barista, and she is currently participating in a hospitality course to help achieve this.
“Brittany has built good working relationships with employers and employees along the way. She’s oozed with confidence and self-belief over the past three months, it’s been a real joy to witness,” says Jason.
Learn more about Work My Way
Read more stories
Jamie’s Story
I work at Woolworths in customer service. I have been in the job for 15 years. I currently study IT at certificate 4 level and I’m qualified at certificate 3 level. I enjoy this because I’ve learnt a lot of things about computers that I didn’t know before. I’m also qualified in disability, mental health, business, finance, retail and hospitality.
Luke’s story
“To date, I am a bagpipe player and composer, sailor, runner, published author, amateur film maker and photographer, and I practice Muay Thai. I have also just applied for the Australian Defence Force Reserves.”
David’s story
“My name is David and I have been enjoying a nearly 17-year career as an employee at Autism SA. Outside of work, I am married with two children and on the weekends, I enjoy umpiring Aussie Rules Football during winter and cricket during summer.”
Charlie’s story – an entrepreneur
“Charlie spoke to us about his journey creating a small business, the importance of inclusion, and encouraging other businesses to consider inclusive practice and products.”
