Late last year 16 year old Daniel Beetham made the decision to quit school and take time out to consider his future.
The former Year 11 Kingaroy State High School student wasn’t enjoying school and was keen to explore what other work and study opportunities were available.
In February, Daniel undertook the Transition to Work Program through BUSY At Work and since then he hasn’t looked back.
The program is an Australian Government initiative which provides intensive, pre-employment support to improve the work readiness of young people and help them secure work (including apprenticeships and traineeships) or education.
BUSY At Work Employment Consultant Kingaroy, Tammy Mills said the program was about delivering high quality services to employers and ensuring young people were supported while looking for and settling into a job.
“When Daniel first came to us he was very polite and enthusiastic about trying to gain employment. He was always well presented and turned up for his appointments on time.”
“We worked closely with him on his interview techniques, presentation skills, resume writing and career aspirations and this helped give him extra motivation to find work,” Mrs Mills said.
After one month with BUSY, Daniel was able to gain regular casual employment with Super IGA Kingaroy.
The well respected local company employ up to 140 staff with many of them being young school leavers.
“Transition to Work here at Kingaroy are very proud of Daniel and that he has been able to obtain employment through this program.”
“It’s great to see such a positive attitude in a young person and he is making good progress on the job as well,” Mrs Mills added.
Since joining IGA, Daniel has been kept busy working on the checkout as well as learning about customer service and restocking of shelves.
Super IGA Store Manager, Trace O’Neill said Daniel had performed really well and demonstrated good work ethics.
“Daniel is always energetic and keen to learn. He is very pleasant with the customers and fits in well with our other staff.”
“There is opportunity for him if he wants to grow and work in other departments within the store and we are pleased to have him on board,” Mr O’Neill said.
Daniel said he was excited to working and happy to be getting plenty of hours.
“I regularly work four or five shifts a week and it certainly keeps me active and on my feet,” Daniel said.
As for the future, Daniel said he was keen to take up study in the animal welfare area.
“Working with animals is something I’ve always wanted to do and I would like to do a TAFE course in the future to help me learn more about what jobs are available,” Daniel said.
BUSY At Work CEO Paul Miles, said it was pleasing to see young people being offered the chance to learn new skills and make the transition into the workforce.
“With the support of the Transition to Work Program we can help early school leavers overcome challenges and build a career pathway for the future.”
“By providing the right training and assistance, Super IGA Kingaroy have set an example for other employers in demonstrating how you can make a difference in a young person’s life,” Mr Miles said.
To participate in Transition to Work a young person must be aged between 15-21 and be an Australian citizen*. Wage subsidies of up to $6,500 are paid to employers over 12 months to help with hiring and training costs for eligible young people.
Learn more about the Transition to Work program or request a full list of eligibility criteria from BUSY At Work on 13 28 79
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*Eligibility Criteria applies
MEDIA CONTACT: Leanne Macnamara, Public Relations Coordinator
0438 173 960 | leanne.macnamara@busyatwork.com.au
