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.

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.

Queanbeyan-Palerang Reconciliation Walk

Each year to celebrate National Reconciliation Week, the Queanbeyan NSW Council holds the Queanbeyan-Palerang Reconciliation Walk which is held on the main street of Queanbeyan NSW.

Workforce Australia (WAES) Phillip ACT Employment Consultants- Meaghan and Rachael, WAES Tuggerangong ACT Employment Consultant- Annmaree and WAES Queanbeyan NSW Employment Consultant- Carlie, participated in the walk to celebrate National Reconciliation Week.

The walk started with a Smoking Ceremony at Marj Christian Park before a walk to Sunken Gardens in Queanbeyan Park, where the Welcome to Country is delivered by Ngunnawal Elders.

Diverse speakers from the different cultures of Australians delivered the message that all attendees were able to learn from. Through their speeches, we learned about our shared histories, cultures, and achievements, and to explore how each of us can contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia.

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.

Cultural Walk for Community with Wiradyuri Elder, Uncle James Ingram

To honour National Reconciliation Week 2023, our Wagga Wagga Workforce Australia team members attended Cultural Walk for Community to work towards the goal of building respectful relationships between the broader Australian community and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Led by local Wiradyuri Elder, Uncle James Ingram from the Bidya Marra Consultancy, the Cultural Walk for Community helped to build our awareness of the significance of Wiradyuri culture in the city of Wagga Wagga NSW.

Wiradyuri Elder, Uncle James Ingram shared his knowledge of the Murrumbidgee River, the Wollundry Lagoon and other significant sites around the local Wagga Wagga area.

Commencing at Riverside, Wagga Wagga Beach with a Welcome to Country, participants experienced stomping on Country and weaving with the Hands-on Weavers group, followed by a tour of the Riverside precinct and the Wollundry Lagoon.

Employer Relationship Coordinator Deb Thacker highly recommends the Cultural Walk for Community.

“There were things that I didn’t know that existed within a 1-2km walk of our culture.”

Deb explains “The day started with a Smoking Ceremony at the Wagga Wagga Beach and later, dancing that led into Ceremony. Significant landmarks and artefacts were explored. We explored the Stolen Generation Rock at the Civic Centre and a tree of significance and gathering at Wagga Wagga Beach.”

“Later participants of the Cultural Walk for Community were invited to a Yarning Circle where stories were shared, with all later participating in Wiradyuri Weaving.”

“The most impactful part of the Cultural Walk for Community was the Smoking Ceremony. We got to participate within the culture. Meanings behind the Smoking Ceremony were given with words and dancing. We were then blessed with the Stone Smoke”.

“The Cultural Walk for Community allowed participants to feel a part of the culture and I highly recommend it to all.”

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.

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.

Kayla’s journey to part-time employment in cleaning

Wagga Wagga Workforce Australia participant Kayla, 31, has recently secured permanent part-time employment in the cleaning industry.

Below she shares her journey from unemployment to her new reality of financial freedom and connection to her community.

Can you tell us a bit about your life prior to getting this job?
Life was tough. I was (and still am) experiencing mental illness, I experienced homelessness, sleeping on the streets and just trying to support myself any way I could.

How did being unemployed make you feel? Were you hopeful that you would find employment or were you becoming discouraged?
Not being employed and getting knocked back interview after interview made me feel like I was failing. It was embarrassing. I just wanted to be a normal working and functioning adult. Before I began suffering from anxiety, my first job was when I was a teenager, working in hospitality and managing a kids club in a holiday resort.

Can you tell us about the support you received that lead to your new employment?
My consultant Teg and the Wagga team gave me the encouragement, confidence, tools and the opportunities I needed to gain employment. Sureway helped me create a proper resume, set up job interviews and enrolled me into courses. It wasn’t easy, I was scared and not sure what to expect.

Was this type of role/industry always your goal, or did you broadened your scope to find it?
Through Sureway, I initially got a job as a Traffic Controller. I became more confident within myself. After a while I wasn’t having much luck so I decided to explore other employment opportunities. I wasn’t sure of what I wanted to do, so I thought of what I enjoy doing and what I’m good at. Not only do I enjoy cleaning, but I’m also really good at it too. That’s when I started applying for cleaning positions. I have now been employed by a great cleaning company!

Do you think your quality of life has improved now that you have employment?
Being employed as a permanent part-time worker in the cleaning industry has boosted my confidence, given me more financial freedom, new friends and a reason to feel proud of myself. It has taught me that no matter where you have been in the past, what you’ve been through or what you’ve done, you can still get somewhere and achieve things.

What would be your number one piece of advice to other job seekers?
Work out what is holding you back, work on it and keep moving forward. One step at a time.The Wagga team wish Kayla all the best for her new career path, and we look forward to supporting her to maintain her momentum!

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.

Study leads to three supermarket management opportunities in Ballarat

Matthew was working casually as a Shelf Stacker when he commenced with Sureway Ballarat in late 2022. He was highly motivated to gain more permanent employment.

After reviewing his resume and discussing his career goals and future, Matthew’s Employment Consultant encouraged him to study the Certificate III in Business to build upon his existing experience.

Matthew thrived in formal education, with the course opening his eyes to a new world of prospects and a brighter future. He has worked through the course so enthusiastically that he will be eligible to complete the course three months ahead of schedule.

His confidence has grown exponentially and as a result, Matthew has received three employment opportunities for Department Manager roles at three different local Supermarkets.

Matthew’s Employment Consultant has expressed her happiness, saying “I am so pleased to see such an overwhelmingly positive outcome. By simply having a meaningful conversation with Matthew about what he wanted to do in his career, he is now living out his career goals.”

“Introducing education to his career plans has been the key to this successful milestone.”

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.