For some job seekers, confidence can be the biggest barrier to employment. What is expected from employers? How to control nerves in interviews? Do I have enough computer skills? All these doubts can hold someone back from securing work or succeeding in their work.
So when a classroom of BUSY Ability clients recently graduated from the Building Strong Foundations course, they came out more confident and ready to find work. The Building Strong Foundations course is designed to help people to gain confidence in their work environment and in social groups, upskill their abilities (particularly digital skills) and help prepare them to achieve their personal career goals. Funded under the Queensland Government’s Skilling Queenslanders for Work program, it is no cost for eligible participants who are either job seekers or under-employed persons.
Libby the mentor of this course from BUSY Ability said, “We had seven participants for this course, three of them have now had their work hours increased at their current workplace and the remaining four successfully graduated and found work or further study in various industries”.
Michael is one of the graduates of the course. Having had a successful career in Hospitality for over 17 years, after a critical back injury, he couldn’t work in his field anymore. Michael had given up on going back to work until he came across BUSY Ability’s Building Strong Foundations course.
He was wearing a big smile of hope along with his graduation hat. “I did the course because I believed there should be something for me too and I was right! I just got accepted for a security monitoring course”, Michael stated.
Alana is another super star who broke through her own mental health challenges and successfully graduated. It was her family who encouraged Alana to give it another chance with finding employment through BUSY Ability. She said she was nervous to go into groups, finding a job was far beyond her expectations. However, she soon changed her mind and stated, “When I started the course, I slowly realised I’m more confident and I actually enjoy talking to people in groups.” Alana also mentioned that Libby’s amazing support doing one-on-one training with her helped her to identify industries she would like to work in, and surprisingly she loved the busy hospitality industry and also the childcare sector.
Alana was very excited to share her experience with the course, “They helped me prepare for interviews, write cover letters, and my resume. Not just that, the course helped me gain computer skills.”
Libby, the careers mentor for the course, stated with a cheerful smile, “Seeing the participants achieve what they thought was not possible is enough motivation to come to work”.
All the graduates had challenges in various ways, but they all made it through.
Wendy had a previous career in administration, but her challenges with communication and lack of computer skills were making it difficult so she lost hours and then went into part time work which wasn’t really sustainable. Throughout all that, she didn’t give up on finding secure work. When she received a text message from BUSY Ability about the course, she said, “At first I thought if nothing works at least it will help me to communicate better at work or simply how to send an e-mail, so I’m going to give it a try”.
Wendy very happily mentioned, “I’ve already started getting opportunities to increase hours at my work, I love working! It boosts my confidence and gives me a purpose.”
Just like Wendy, Bill also had a thriving career, working nine years as an accountant. Bill, who suffers from social anxiety, said, “It was very hard to be at a busy office, so I haven’t gone outside much in the past few years”. Yet he wanted to break the cycle and believed he could, stating “I have a six-year-old son so I want to be a good role model to him”.
Bill also successfully graduated and mingled among the crowd comfortably with joy and laugher. His goal is to re-enter the workforce as a tax accountant, encouraged with his new found confidence.
Find out More
Do you need confidence to find or keep work? The Building Strong Foundations course is held regularly through BUSY Ability and the Skilling Queenslanders for Work program.
Express your interest or find out more about upcoming courses.
You can also find out more about BUSY Ability and various supports for job seekers to enter the workforce.
Trainers and students celebrated their graduation from the Building Strong Foundations course.
The BUSY Group acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the country throughout Australia and their continuing connection to the land, sea and community. We pay our respects to them and their cultures, and their Elders past and present.
