Twenty year old Joshua Lock may be young in years but his determination to make a success of his life has not gone unnoticed by BUSY At Work’s Program Coordinator for the Hit the Road Program, Robyn Donnelly.
A recent graduate of the five week program which targets job seekers aged between 15 and 24, and Indigenous and disadvantaged job seekers, Ms Donnelly said Joshua had proved to be an excellent student and his determination to succeed was now paying dividends.
“Before entering the program Joshua had not been able to secure employment and despite not having been employed for over a year, nothing could hold him back.”
“He remained enthusiastic and positive throughout the course and with his improved employability and work readiness skills, Joshua has now been able to obtain regular casual work with Unimet Security in Brisbane,” Ms Donnelly said.
The Hit the Road program is part of the Queensland Government funded initiative, Skilling Queenslanders for Work Community Work Skills Program.
The program features a mixture of classroom based training and hands-on activities and is designed to help job seekers gain a start in the transport and logistics industry. Graduates from the program receive a Certificate II in Logistics.
BUSY delivered the one-on-one mentoring and life skill development presentations to ensure the participants were job ready, while Careers Australia Training delivered the accredited training part of the program.
While completing a Certificate II in Security last year, Joshua felt it was the knowledge he gained from the Hit the Road Program which had really helped him gain the job.
“Previously when I went to interviews I was really nervous and unsure of myself. Robyn was always extremely positive and the interviewing skills I learned really helped me get the job with Unimet.”
As part of the program Joshua was also provided with driving lessons from a qualified instructor to help him move forward in obtaining his Medium Rigid (MR) truck licence.
“The driving lessons were an added bonus and this has allowed me to get my P’s,” Joshua said.
Robyn said she was delighted with the success of the program which had given Joshua the opportunity to not only improve his communication skills but grow as a person.
“Joshua is just one of many participants who have had the opportunity to gain real practical skills in resume writing and how to present themselves at interviews.”
“Throughout the program the participants have also gained practical skills through on-the-job placement which has helped improve their confidence greatly. We are excited that Joshua has now been able to secure regular casual work in the security industry,” Mrs Donnelly added.
Robyn said BUSY At Work was hoping to run a new Community Work Skills Program at Ipswich next year.
BUSY At Work CEO, Paul Miles said BUSY was pleased to partner with Careers Australia in the Skilling Queenslanders for Work Hit the Road Program.
“We know how important it is for young job seekers to gain the confidence they need to take the first step to gaining employment.”
“By helping them improve their employability and work readiness skills and providing employment mentoring we can help set them on a career pathway for the future,” Mr Miles said.
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MEDIA CONTACT: Leanne Macnamara, Public Relations Coordinator
0438 173 960 leanne.macnamara@busyatwork.com.au
