|
‘The strength of the Skills & Jobs Centre lies not only in its attendance to individual client needs, but also in strong partnerships with community and local industry, linking training and skills development to relevant employment opportunities and local economy growth.’ Whether it’s been one year or more than a decade, it can be daunting for parents to consider their return to work following a break to care for family. The Skills and Jobs Centre assists parents who wish to return to work through individual career counselling and ongoing support, providing the knowledge, skills and confidence for parents to restart a former career, or begin a new one. The Skills and Jobs Centre assists parents by reinforcing the idea that returning to the workforce will:
Skills and Jobs Centre career advisors can assist by connecting parents with the education and training relevant to their personal career goals and help to connect individuals with the employers and jobs most suited to return-to-work parents. Our experience tells us that sometimes clients just need the opportunity to be heard, informed and supported in order to gain confidence and find the strength to pursue their career ambitions. A positive experience is not always reflected merely by the employment outcome, rather by the many positive interactions and learnings along the way.
|
CASE STUDY: Marie After many years’ spent caring for her children, Marie attended the Skills and Jobs Centre for assistance to explore her options for returning to work. Like many parents seeking to return to work, Marie felt that she was ‘out of touch’ with the requirements of Resume Writing and lacked confidence in the job-application process. Marie was eager to re-enter the workforce, but fearful after a long time focused on caring for her children and unsure of her preparedness. The Skills and Jobs Centre provided Marie with guidance to develop an effective cover letter and resume tailored to her application for an administrative role with a local school. The Skills and Jobs Centre advisor also helped to address Marie’s concerns about re-entering the workforce by talking through her challenges, answering her questions about employment expectations, discussing how to prepare her application and providing feedback on her cover letter and resume prior to submission. Through her interactions with the Skills and Jobs Centre, Marie felt increasingly confident about her existing skills, how to manage the application process and better-equipped to pursue her career aspirations. Marie reported that she felt empowered with the new knowledge she had obtained and relieved to be supported by a professional service that demonstrated care and a willingness to listen and help. Marie was ultimately successful in both her application to the school for a casual administration role and another administrative role she had applied for, accepting the second offer due to its flexible, family-friendly hours. “I am so glad to have come across your services. What I have learnt from you has helped me so much and I am more confident when applying for a job. Thank you so much for your time and help, it means a lot. This service needs more exposure to people… I have been sending some of my mum friends from school and soccer your details, so that they can get the help they need for job seeking…” The former job seeker has just celebrated one month working in her administration role and encourages other parents returning to work to remain hopeful about finding a role that fits in with family commitments. For further information on how to access our services, including employment opportunities, individual career counselling and online workshops visit: |
BRIDGING THE GAP: One Parent’s ‘Return to Work’ Journey
