At the age of 28, with a positive attitude, good health, and enthusiasm for work, Daniel (pictured above right with his manager Jai) did not anticipate facing long-term unemployment. Then COVID-19 hit and changed everything.
In a sudden turn of events, he went from having steady work as a stagehand for live concerts to enduring more than 18 months of unemployment.
When lockdown restrictions eased, Daniel was among the first through the doors of Jobfind’s new Workforce Australia service in Waurn Ponds VIC. There, he met his Employment Consultant, Krystal Rouge, who immediately recognised that his eagerness to secure a job, labouring skills, and white card certification were the keys to helping him find employment, fast.
“He is also a young Indigenous man so our Recruitment Consultant connected him with a wonderful local employer who has a great history of supporting Indigenous people into work,” says Krystal.
Connection to employers
Like Daniel, Rachael Brown commenced with Jobfind in July 2022 as its new Recruitment Consultant in the Barwon region. With prior experience as an Indigenous Employment Consultant, Rachael has a proven track record of working collaboratively with local employers to meet their workforce requirements.
Rachael has had success placing Indigenous job seekers with Jai Mahina-Mahobule, who owns local roof tiling company, Maho Roofing. Due to this past success, Rachael believed Jai would be an ideal employer for Daniel.
“Jai wants to give everyone an opportunity to get ahead in life. He takes on a fathering role on top of being the employer,” says Rachael.
With Daniel’s enthusiasm to start work, and Jai’s supportive approach to on-the-job training, Rachael was confident the pair would make a good match.
After one phone call to Jai, Rachael had secured an immediate job start for Daniel.
Maho Roofing in Geelong
Maho Roofing is a Geelong-based roof tiling company, servicing the Barwon region in Victoria. Owner Jai Mahobule heads up the small business with a tight and committed crew. “We all put in, noone is better than anyone else; we’re a team,” says Jai.
Rachael attests that Jai has been a steady figure for the disadvantaged job seekers she has placed with him: “He’ll give people a chance. He makes them feel employable.”
Support to start work
Jai loaned Daniel a pair of work boots for his first day on the job. And later that afternoon, Krystal dropped off a pair of new boots for Daniel, purchased via the Australian Government’s Employment Fund, which is a flexible pool of funds available to providers to offer tailored support to participants.
Daniel was so motivated to gain financial independence that he was prepared to take on a second job as well. So Jobfind also funded his completion of a Responsible Service of Alcohol certificate so he could do bar work in the evenings.
“We offered Daniel more practical support for work, such as driving lessons and additional work clothes, but he declined, saying, ‘I’m okay, help someone else with it’,” says Krystal.
Permission to dream
Jai (left) and Daniel (right)
Seven months later, Daniel is thriving in his job:
“It’s a very, very positive place,” he says.
More than just the job, Daniel appreciates the workplace culture Jai has fostered. “They look after our safety first and there’s always someone encouraging you,” he says.
With Jai’s support, Daniel started an apprenticeship in roof tiling and will begin studying environmental studies at TAFE in July.
This will pave the way for him to pursues his dream career as a ranger and continue his wildlife and conservation studies by entering university next year.
“Jai told me to make sure I chase my dreams, be ambitious. I’ve never met anyone like him,” says Daniel.
“He picked me up out of nothing and made something out of me.”
All of us at Jobfind wish Daniel well and we look forward to meeting Ranger Daniel in the future 😊.
About Workforce Australia at Jobfind
The Workforce Australia service at Jobfind is personalised to help job seekers become job ready and secure meaningful work. We support individuals with a tailored plan to achieve lasting employment, including skills acquisition, job search and interview preparation. Jobfind also support employers with a no-cost service to find and hire staff, including access to government financial support.
Read more here: https://jobfind.com.au/job-seekers/workforce-australia/
