As young people go from being students year after year to becoming school leavers, they often don’t know the next step to take. And as a parent, you want to help without being pushy or offering advice that doesn’t really seem to help.
The following 9 tips let you help your school leavers get meaningful employment.
1. Stay positive
Talk with your child about their options in a relaxed manner and without making them anxious or putting them on the defensive. Start by encouraging them to reflect on what they like or enjoy doing and what they’re good at, and offer positive guidance and suggestions. Ask them if they have any ideas about what job to pursue based on their interests.
2. Discuss the Youth Allowance for job seekers with them
Your child may be eligible to receive a Youth Allowance if they’re age 16 to 21 and are looking for full-time work, studying part-time and looking for work, or are temporarily unable to work or study. If they receive a Youth Allowance, your child must meet the program’s requirements or face penalties.
3. Provide guidance and practical support, not control
Even as your child gets older, it can be hard to let go of old habits. Your parenting role still remains, but as your school leaver prepares to transition into work, realise that your job may now be one of providing guidance and practical support rather than controlling. It also helps to avoid getting overly invested emotionally in their choices.
4. Remind them that there’s not just one path to success
Your child may have applied for a job they were counting on or experienced a similar disappointment. Remind them to develop a contingency plan if their first one doesn’t work out. There’s not just one path to success, and sometimes the more unexpected plans lead to better results in the long run.
5. Help them realise some of the skills they’ve acquired inside and outside of school
Employers are looking for workers that can be trained and retained, so skills like working in a team, communicating effectively, and managing time well are often very important. Even though your child may have no work history, they’ve still acquired valuable skills along the way.
For example, if they participated in school-related activities and still made time for their studies, they have good time-management skills.
6. Encourage them to check out the Australian Jobs Report
Your child may be able to get some inspiration, ideas, and data from the Australian Jobs Report. It contains information about jobs by industry as well as location. In addition, they’ll learn what employers are looking for and what government programs may be able to assist them.
7. Connect with the Transition to Work program through Asuria
Transition to Work (TTW) is an Australian government program designed to help young people aged 15-24. Through providers like us at Asuria, TTW helps young people become job-ready and assists them with finding and keeping meaningful employment. This type of comprehensive program can help your child in many practical ways.
8. Share our success stories with them
At Asuria, we've helped many young people struggling with finding a job, and it may inspire your child to see some of our success stories. For example, we’ve placed Matthew and Caitlyn at Seafood Indulgence, where they have jobs they love and have become substantial assets to their employers.
Rahnee, a creative young woman, participated in our program and learned many important skills before we helped her secure a job at Bagsamore, a designer bag restoration company. She describes it as a job she genuinely loves.
9. Take advantage of the opportunities Asuria has to offer through Transition to Work
We help young people in a variety of ways through our intensive, pre-employment support that empowers them with the practical skills needed to secure employment or connect with education or training. By meeting with a Job Coach, they’ll be taking the first step toward getting a new job.
Getting started on the path to meaningful employment
Tell your child about Transition to Work and Asuria and let them know that by filling out a short form with their contact information, they can easily get started on the road to meaningful employment.
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