Charli Starts Her Career as a Chippy

After losing shifts in her retail position, Charli came to BUSY Ability looking for some guidance and support, as she decided she wasn’t really enjoying retail work and was considering pursuing her real interest in the construction trade, either as a carpenter, shopfitter or in cabinet-making. Charli’s father is a carpenter and this inspired her to consider the trade.

Charli entered a Skilling Queenslanders for Work course, delivered by BUSY Ability and BUSY At Work. The ten-day course helped participants to consider their career paths and assess their strengths and preferences. This further gave Charli the confidence to pursue her dream.

Once she completed the ten-day course, Charli’s employment consultant at BUSY Ability started looking for an entry-level carpentry apprenticeship position for her and soon found one with Zig-Zag Constructions. Aaron Schuster, owner of Zig-Zag was looking for general labourers with the possibility of putting on an apprentice carpenter.

After Charli’s first day, her hard work impressed Aaron and the team so much that Aaron decided to put her on as an apprentice and she officially signed her training contract on the 20^th November 2020. The apprenticeship position will give Charli the opportunity to learn on the job while earning a wage.

CEO for BUSY Ability, Jason Shield stated “BUSY Ability is fortunate to be a part of the BUSY Group who offer a range of employment and skills training support programs for job seekers, like the Skilling Queenslanders for Work program and Australian Apprenticeship Support services. Charli is an inspiration to other young women who are considering a career in the trades and we look forward to providing ongoing support for her successful career path as a carpenter”.

For more information about Employment Services provided by BUSY Ability, visit www.busyability.org.au