Jannifer’s Lease On Life Renewed With Pick Packing Role
For some job seekers, their story is finding an employment services provider that links them with the perfect employer, and the rest is history. However, for those job seekers that aren’t as fortunate on the first try, it can be easy to lose faith.
Every job seeker is unique, and their disabilities or health challenges mean that their requirements for work are not the same as the next person. You can’t fit a square peg in a round hole, just like you can’t place someone in a job that isn’t right for them.
This is the story of job seeker Jannifer prior to coming to AimBig Employment.
When Jannifer first commenced with AimBig Employment in 2020, she was described as being apprehensive and doubtful of the job seeking process. From bad experiences with other provides to working for employers that didn’t understand her needs, she was losing trust in the system. She had been suggested Hospitality and Cleaning roles, but knew that she wanted to take on a job she loved and would be happy to work in for many years to come.
She was assigned Abeba, a job coach from the Sunshine West office, renowned for her can-do positive attitude. When the pair met, Abeba knew that Jannifer’s negative experiences left her feeling down about her job prospects, but as Abeba would say to all her participants “Not a problem, I will help you get the job that makes you happy again”.
Abeba persisted and worked with Jannifer to identify jobs that would work for her health requirements, which led Abeba suggesting a pick-packing role. A path that Jannifer had never even thought about, she decided with Abeba’s support it was a chance worth taking. Abeba used her community connections to have Jannifer referred for a pick-packing warehousing role at Foodbank (Adecco).
Fast forward 22 weeks later, Jannifer is thriving in her role and is hoping to work her way up the ranks within Foodbank, telling Abeba that she feels that she can see herself having a long and lasting career within the organisation. The most notable change within Jannifer is her new-found confidence – something she never expected to find again, but with the support of Abeba and a fantastic employer, she has rediscovered. Singing Abeba’s praises, Jannifer spoke with our Acting Regional Manager Tarlea, affirming that “there is always light at the end of the tunnel, especially with the support of Abeba”.
A great part about her role with Foodbank is the flexibility in the arrangement, where Jannifer can attend school drop offs and pickups and has found a work-life balance which she has yearned for in other roles. Her joy from finding work has given her a new lease on life and ready to take on new adventures, where she just recently spent the weekend with her daughter at Moomba Festival in Melbourne.
From Jannifer’s commencement with AimBig Employment in 2020 where she felt isolated and without hope, to now sharing her story on how much employment has positively impacted her life, we are so proud to help thousands of Australians like Jannifer. By having genuine respect and understanding of the experiences and challenges that people living with disability face, our job coaches like Abeba are able to help job seekers overcome their barriers and find meaningful employment.
