Employment ready, then full steam ahead

Michael had worked in the banking industry for 20 years and found himself unemployed for 12 months. He was experiencing homelessness and living out of his car due to financial hardship. He wasn’t in the right headspace to begin applying for jobs due to some personal issues.

After attending Tursa Employment & Training in Mermaid Beach, Michael was able to access the support he needed to prepare for employment and become employment ready.

We got the chance to catch up with Michael to ask him about his experience with TURSA. He said;

“I wasn’t ready for a while, but when I knew I was employment ready, it was full steam ahead. I applied for a job, got the interview and then I was offered the job”.

Employment ready support

Michael continued to say;

“My Employment Adviser Kylianne really helped me. The support I received was amazing and nothing I asked for was ever too much”.

“One time, I couldn’t attend a course because I was rushed to hospital. Kylianne was understanding and didn’t question it. I was never doubted or pushed, instead I felt supported in so many ways. It was her belief in me that really helped me. I was always made to feel welcome, I received tough love and thanks to her and everything she did, I now have a place to stay and a new job to start”.

“I hadn’t attended a job interview for 20 years so I needed help to get my resume up to date. One time I asked for a few dollars to buy some food and was given a $100 Coles voucher. Other times I received help to buy petrol, clothes and shoes and even to pay for my car rego”.

At TURSA, we have offices available for employers to use for interviewing and so we were also able to arrange interview space at our Palm Beach office for Michael’s interview.

We asked Michael what advice he would give to others who were returning to work, he said;

“I would say listen to your Employment Adviser, observe what they do, believe and trust their advice and then, get yourself employment ready ASAP”.

We congratulate Michael who started his new job this week.