When Jesse left school at 15, he was highly motivated to get a job and start building a career. He just wasn’t entirely sure what sort of career he wanted, and didn’t know many companies that were hiring.
That’s where BUSY At Work came in. As an early school leaver, Jesse was eligible for the Australian Government’s Transition to Work program, an intensive service for young people aged 15-24 that helps them build skills and confidence to enter the workforce.
“We help with everything from resumes, to cover letters, to interview prep, to really help them move forward and work out what it is that they want to do with their futures,” explained Megan Watterson, Business Manager at BUSY At Work.
Most importantly, the program gives young people the opportunity to experience the financial freedom that comes from secure employment. “The work we do is important because it breaks cycles,” Megan said. “It breaks ripples in our community of generational unemployment.”
Megan started by getting to know Jesse and identifying his strengths and interests. Then, Megan connected with BUSY At Work’s network of employers to find opportunities that suited Jesse’s needs. It wasn’t long before a great match came along.
“I was looking for a young fella to sign up as an apprentice and BUSY At Work said, ‘Oh, I’ve got this kid Jesse, I’ll bring him in, see what you think’,” recalled Sam Tierney, Director of Modern Vintage Masonry.
From that very first day, Sam knew Jesse was going to be a great fit for his business. He was particularly impressed that Jesse came to the role “job ready”.
Megan explained that this was because a core part of the Transition to Work service is to help young job seekers develop practical skills for use in a work environment. “We helped him (Jesse) choose a career path and take steps in getting licenses and things like that to actually start employment,” she said.
Jesse is now undertaking a brick-laying apprenticeship and loving his job with Modern Vintage.
In the future, Jesse says he’d love to become a full-time brick layer “up on the wall”.
For Sam, he is keen to continue partnering with BUSY At Work to get more apprentices just like Jesse.
Watch Jesse’s story here:
