Recently, our Southern Adelaide Disability Employment Services team held a ‘Snag a Job’ Day.

Nine local employers attended the Daw Park, South Australia site and met with 19 participants.

Employers provided insight into their businesses and discussed the criteria they use when hiring new candidates. Participants were then given the opportunity to attend group and one-on-one interviews with the employers.

One participant was invited to a second interview with a local winery and made a great impression. He gained employment at the winery where he continues to thrive.

The ‘Snag a Job’ Day provided participants with valuable knowledge on how to address specific criteria when seeking employment and gave them insight into how different businesses work.

A fantastic day was had by all who attended, and we were able to further our relationships with local employers.

Need help to find a career path that works for you? Get in touch with us on 1300 SUREWAY (1300 787 392) or [email protected] to find out how we can help.

Australian Idol Gets Sureway Transition to Work Participants Songwriting for Success

If you’re a young person preparing for work or study, every experience can help you on your journey – even a workshop with a nationally famous musician like Emerauld.

Originally published by Murray Bridge News

Life is a journey, and you deserve a chance to live it to the fullest no matter how far along you are.

The team at Sureway understand that – that’s why they invited a nationally famous musician to come and work with a group of young people in Murray Bridge last week.

Emilie Suter – also known by her stage name, Emerauld – shot to stardom when she featured on Australian Idol earlier this year.

On Thursday, her incredible voice filled a conference room as she guided participants in Sureway’s Transition to Work program through a songwriting workshop.

Participants took turns suggesting lyrics or talking about the things that made them feel happy.

What does that have to do with getting ready to enter the workforce, or start a new course?

Sureway gets that you’re a person with passions, hopes and dreams – not just a box to be ticked.

The more experience you gain, in any field, the more prepared you’ll be for the next chapter in your life.

The Transition to Work program is open to people between the ages of 15 and 24 who need assistance to get ready for work or education.

The program is designed to build participants’ skills, confidence and readiness for work.

Sureway Youth Consultants can:

• Help you build your pre-employment and personal skills through training, work experience and education.
• Talk to you about apprenticeships and internships.
• Connect you with local community services and job opportunities.

Sureway know that everyone is different, so they tailor the program to your needs to make sure you get the right support.

Photo and story courtesy of Peri Strathearn

Need help to find a career path that works for you? Get in touch with us on 1300 SUREWAY (1300 787 392) or [email protected] to find out how we can help.

Narayan from Horsham Vic kicking goals with AFL

Horsham Disability Employment Services (DES) client Narayan, who featured in our Oct-Dec 2022 edition of Sureway Stories, recently celebrated over 9 months of employment with Australian Football League (AFL) VIC as a Support Program Officer.

Narayan is an avid AFL supporter who knows his AFL stats dating right back to the game’s early days.

A rare opportunity to turn passion into work, Narayan’s role involves supporting children’s AFL skills clinics that focus on helping disadvantaged young people be part of the football program.

Giving an update on his employment journey so far, Narayan said, ‘I was excited (to get this job) because I wanted to work with the AFL. I enjoy helping the kids and seeing them smile and enjoying footy.’

Asked how his life has changed since gaining employment, he said, ‘Being employed has helped with my confidence. I’ve been able to meet new people and I work with a bunch of good people.’

Narayan’s future goals include getting his driver’s licence so that he can travel further for his employment at other football clinic locations.

Need help to find a career path that works for you? Get in touch with us on 1300 SUREWAY (1300 787 392) or [email protected] to find out how we can help.

Courtney from Phillip ACT graduates Hospitality Course

Workforce Australia Phillip ACT Participant Courtney made us all proud by graduating the On the Sparks Hospitality Program this month. Sureway were invited to attend her graduation ceremony at CIT Reid ACT where we were able to hear all that Courtney had learned and achieved over the course of the program.

She has persevered and shown great resilience to complete seven units in four weeks with her Sparks Hospitality Job Trainer, in partnership with ClubsACT and Canberra Institute of Technology.

Courtney and her Employment Consultant have worked closely together since the start of 2023 to overcome her barriers and to improve her self-esteem and motivation.  A huge improvement has been seen in Courtney, who has now found the confidence to step out into the workforce.

Starting the course shy and reserved, Courtney has not only now graduated but has made heaps of new friends.

Courtney’s Employment Consultant has expressed how proud she is “I couldn’t be prouder of Courtney, and I cannot wait to see what the future holds.”

Sureway wishes Courtney all the best with her future endeavours.

Need help to find a career path that works for you? Get in touch with us on 1300 SUREWAY (1300 787 392) or [email protected] to find out how we can help.

Full-time factory work and a healthier outlook for Brendan

Workforce Australia participant, Brendan was referred to Sureway Health and Wellbeing due to multiple non-vocational barriers. These barriers included excessive alcohol consumption, unstable housing, financial hardship and poor mental health.

During his first session, Brendan explained that he drank alcohol to numb his feelings of shame.

Brendan agreed to continue engaging with Sureway Health and Wellbeing for psychosocial support, while working with his Employment Consultant to progress his work goals.

Collaboratively, Sureway Health and Wellbeing and his Employment Consultant assisted Brendan by helping him to find full-time work in a local factory.

Brendan was provided with new workwear for his job and a referral to The Salvation Army, who were able to obtain housing for him.

Brendan was also put in touch with a local community centre for food and personal care items.

Through the journey, Brendan was also encouraged to see a GP, which resulted in a medication review and referral to a psychiatrist.

Soon after starting his job, Brendan was able to save enough money to buy a car, which made it easier for him to commute to and from work, and to travel around in his non-work time.

In his last session with Sureway Health and Wellbeing, he reported that it felt good to be working. He also explained that he is drinking less alcohol, is looking healthier and has more confidence in himself.

Need help to find a career path that works for you? Get in touch with us on 1300 SUREWAY (1300 787 392) or [email protected] to find out how we can help.

Stable housing for Dean and his dog

Phillip ACT, Workforce Australia participant Dean, 29, was referred to Sureway Health and Wellbeing, as he was homeless. He was alternating between sleeping on the streets and couch surfing. As Dean has a dog, this made it more difficult for him to access housing.

With assistance from Sureway Health and Wellbeing, Dean was able to secure social housing for himself and his dog. Sureway Health and Wellbeing also helped him to obtain furniture and appliances by contacting various charitable organisations.

Dean reports that he is finding it easier to focus on work. Since attaining stable accommodation, he has had a string of casual labouring jobs. He feels that he now has the chance to maintain ongoing employment. He no longer constantly worries about where he will be sleeping from night to night.

Need help to find a career path that works for you? Get in touch with us on 1300 SUREWAY (1300 787 392) or [email protected] to find out how we can help.

Career Transition Assistance for the Yazidi Community in Wagga Wagga NSW

Language, literacy and numeracy issues can be a barrier to employment, especially for those from non-English speaking and English-as-a-second-language backgrounds.

With the help of an interpreter, a group of Yazidi citizens in Wagga Wagga NSW undertook the Career Transition Assistance (CTA) course with excellent results.

A joint effort of Sureway and APM, the course aims to equip learners with digital literacy for the workplace and in-depth job searching skills.

The participants benefited from an inbound employer visit with representatives from meat processing and export business, Teys Australia. Participants learnt about the production cycle at Teys Australia through video demonstrations. They also gained insight into what to expect in Teys Australia’s recruitment process.

With the support of Translator Midya, participants asked questions and were encouraged to apply for current and future roles. Teys are a “employer of choice”, offering support to potential recruits utilising an interpreter. Teys Australia have confirmed that they love to work closely with employment providers to ensure new recruits have a smooth transition to employment.

Participants also learned valuable skills about how to protect themselves online from Sureway IT Help Desk Team Leader, Andrew. The learners agreed that they now felt more secure in their online presence, and gained transferrable skills that they can apply in their future job roles.

Two female participants expressed their thanks to the course, as this is their first experience in a classroom. They thanked the Sureway and APM teams for their support and guidance and their efforts to ensure language barriers didn’t stop them from achieving progress.

Need help to find a career path that works for you? Get in touch with us on 1300 SUREWAY (1300 787 392) or [email protected] to find out how we can help.

Kerry’s journey from homelessness to hope

This time last year, Vincentia NSW Disability Employment Services (DES) client Kerrie Anne was homeless.

She had overstayed a notice to vacate and was in the process of tribunal proceedings to find a solution so her and her son would not become homeless. Unfortunately, she was not successful and had to vacate the premises. She had been couch surfing for several months and her son had been staying with his sister and her partner. Kerrie Anne was very depressed, with some days not being able to bring herself to get out of bed.

To make matters worse, Kerrie Anne’s storage unit was flooded, and she lost all of her belongings during the floods. This caused Kerri Anne to spiral and resulted in her not attending appointments and becoming non-compliant.

It was decided that the best course of action was for Kerrie Anne to attain a medical certificate so she could focus upon her mental health.

The last straw for Kerrie Anne was when her son relocated to Melbourne to live with his father. Kerrie Anne decided to build herself back up for her son’s sake.

She moved in with her daughter and started to attend counselling sessions.

After the completion of her medical certificate, Kerrie Anne’s DES Employment Consultant sprang into action. With determination, support and trust, Kerrie Anne and her DES Employment Consultant were going to face this together.

Kerrie Anne and her DES Consultant approached a local cleaning company who were willing to give her a try.

This job has been the best thing for Kerrie Anne, who has now been offered permanent part- time work. She is applying for housing and is hoping to be able to bring her son back home as soon as he completes his schooling at the end of this year.

Kerrie Anne has told Sureway that she could not have done it without their support and is so grateful to us for helping her along her tough journey. Kerrie Anne is now able to smile again and has a spring in her step. She looks forward to going to work each day and now plans to focus on finding a home.

Kerrie Anne says that 2023 is her year. “I have never seen her so happy, and she says that she now has something to get up for each day. She looks forward to going to work. She says that all she needs now is to find herself her own little home”, explains Kerrie Anne’s DES Employment Consultant.

Need help to find a career path that works for you? Get in touch with us on 1300 SUREWAY (1300 787 392) or [email protected] to find out how we can help.

Career Transition Assistance (CTA) helps Pauline with her New Career Path

Pauline previously worked in Hospitality at a local club. Looking for a career change, she got referred to Career Transition Assistance (CTA) in Echuca Victoria.

By day six Pauline had a job with the help from the CTA program. To celebrate her efforts and her new career path, CTA Facilitator, Tamara Balding sat down with Pauline to ask her some questions on her sucess.

How has Sureway/CTA helped with your employment journey?

With the support of CTA, Sureway and my CTA Facilitator Bernadette Quarrie (the fabulous trainer), I felt supported and believed in myself to achieve my full potential.

In the course you are taught to brighten your horizons and increase your self-belief. This was the little push I needed to follow my new career path journey.

What was the best part of the CTA course?

I can’t pinpoint the best part of the course as there was lots to learn and each person will take something away.

In the course, participants are encouraged to bounce ideas off one another. I really enjoyed the resume formatting. It highlighted that I did have transferable skills from my Hospitality experience. These skills will help me in Aged Care. I was also able to use my transferable skills to self-promote myself and to approach employers.

Would you recommend the CTA course to others, why?

Yes, yes, yes!

You will learn heaps and get lots out of the course. You gain what you want out of the course.

Put yourself out there. You are never too old to learn something new or try a different career.

“CTA took me out of my comfort zone. I got a different career and I am looking forward to a workplace where no day will be the same. I couldn’t be happier!”

Need help to find a career path that works for you? Get in touch with us on 1300 SUREWAY (1300 787 392) or [email protected] to find out how we can help.

Rebecca’s journey from seasonal worker to dream Truck driver job

Rebecca’s determination is proof that if you put your heart and soul into it, you can achieve anything.

Rebecca suffers from chronic pain but refuses to give up. She has travelled around NSW/Vic towing a caravan as she was a seasonal worker. Her work ranged from milking cows to Farmhand/Labourer work.

During her appointments, she expressed she wanted to drive trucks for a living.

We booked her in to sit for her HR licence. Despite being nervous, Rebecca passed with flying colours.

She then travelled from Deniliquin NSW to Penong SA (1,439kms), towing her caravan behind her. She attended the Salt Mines in Penong SA to attend an interview for a position as a Truck Driver.

The interview went well, and she is now working happily as a Truck Driver.

Rebecca is grateful to Sureway, as she has said that without our backing and financial assistance, she could never have achieved her dream.

Need help to find a career path that works for you? Get in touch with us on 1300 SUREWAY (1300 787 392) or [email protected] to find out how we can help.