In January 2020, Warrigal Employment Illawarra Aboriginal Corporation (WEIAC) got in touch about a participant they felt would benefit from registering with Workskills. The participant was Shaun Organ, and as well as an introduction, Shaun’s New Careers for Aboriginal People (NCAP) employment officer provided Workskills with a copy of Shaun’s resume and a summary of both his employment goals and vocational/non-vocational barriers.
From the first meeting with Shaun it was clear that he was excited about the opportunity to team up with Workskills and find employment. Shaun’s initial goal was to work as a trades assistant, so Workskills arranged an interview with a local bricklaying company and booked him onto a course to get his ‘White Card’, a safety requirement for anyone working in construction.
Unfortunately, the bricklaying role didn’t work out, so Workskills supported Shaun to refocus on his other vocational goal of working in hospitality. After completing a period of unpaid work experience with a local restaurant, Shaun was able to gain some valuable hospitality skills. Soon after this, he secured a Kitchen Hand position at The Oaks Hotel, after Workskills supported Shaun through the interview process.
Shaun enjoys his position in the kitchen, washing dishes, using the dishwasher, cleaning, cutting pizza and learning to cook chicken schnitzel. Workskills has helped Shaun with travelling to and from work and funded driving lessons, as Shaun works towards getting his licence.
During his employment, Shaun has faced several barriers including pain from a tennis elbow condition, the club undergoing renovations and COVID lockdown. However, with the continued support from Workskills, Shaun recently celebrated his first year’s work anniversary, and he is rightly proud of his journey and accomplishments achieved.
