Poppy’s life turned around with her first paid job
In July 2018, shy Perth job seeker Poppy attended the MatchWorks Fremantle office with her mother to help her find her very first paid employment role. Poppy is reserved by nature and often let her mother do the talking. She felt uncomfortable with new people and environments and needed gentle encouragement and support to help her come out of her shell.
The team at MatchWorks warmly welcomed Poppy into their office and quickly focused on getting to know her natural abilities. Building mutual trust to ensure she was provided meaningful support was another key focus for the team.
Within a few weeks, Poppy’s life turned around when she received her very first job offer in the kitchen at Picobello Patisseries café in Bicton. This job has given Poppy a more confident voice and she always makes sure she is punctual for her 7:30am shift two days a week.
“Poppy is persistent with her work and works hard,” Picobello Patisseries employer, Duy said.
“She meticulously rolls and cuts pastry dough, beats eggs and cooks pies and sausage rolls in between washing dishes and tidying up the kitchen.”
Poppy’s mum Khris said she has noticed a huge difference in Poppy’s confidence since she started working at the café.
“Every morning on her work days she is jumping out of her bed. She must be loving it,” Khris said.
“This wouldn’t be happening if it was not for Duy. He is great and often reminds Poppy that it takes time to master a task and it is okay to make mistakes. With a smile on his face he says ‘After these many years, I still make mistakes. Just tell me – so we can correct it’.”
Poppy recently marked her three month milestone as a valued staff member at the Patisserie. This is a wonderful outcome for Poppy, who shared that one of the best parts of having paid work is being able to buy treats for her little sister from time to time. What a thoughtful young person.
MatchWorks has more than 150 sites across Australia. Call 1300 13 23 63 to find out how we can help you establish a new career.