Jason overcomes long-term unemployment and turns life around
Single dad Jason was finding it tough to find work to fit in with his family commitments. Now, after four years of dedicated support, the Indigenous job seeker’s life has changed after securing flexible work that enables him to provide for his family.
The first steps
Boosting Jason’s motivation and confidence were important first steps in his journey. The MatchWorks team encouraged Jason to give some of our specialised Indigenous programs a go and once he committed, life started to turn-around for the Western Sydney job seeker.
“Jason joined our Wambinya program where participants are mentored and set goals,” said Employment Consultant, Anita Bartley.
“It was here he developed a good rapport with his mentor, and opened up that his son had special needs. Once we understood Jason’s family situation in more detail, we were able to provide better support and look for opportunities that gave him the flexibility he needed,” she said.
Jason builds his skills and confidence
The team watched Jason’s motivation and confidence grow in leaps and bounds from this point. Soon, he was ready to join MatchWorks Deadly Yakka pre-employment program along where he developed his life skills for work. He also gained:
- Job search and interview skills
- Presentation advice
- An understanding of workplace expectations
- A foot in the door to Diversity Dimensions who was running a local program for part-time work at Woolworths.
Finding the right job
“A new store was opening only five minutes from Jason’s home, so we knew this was the right opportunity for him,” Anita said.
Jason excelled in the program and was offered a permanent part-time role soon after.
“I wanted to do something so I wasn’t just sitting around, but needed a job where I could get my son to school,” Jason said
“Woolworths worked around that and are helpful people to work with… it gave me the opportunity to have a go.”
Jason said he’s over the moon about being able to work again and has also been picking up extra shifts.
Life gets better for Jason
“Life got a lot better once I started working… It’s just easier – I have money, I can plan things and Christmas will be better for me and my son,” he said.
“MatchWorks were a good team to work with and helped me out so it’s all good now.”
Indigenous employment support
Find out more about our specialised programs for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people or call 1300 13 23 63 to chat to one of our Indigenous Employment Consultants.