When Rachael first met Asuria’s Workforce Australia Mentor Tiarna in Ballarat in July 2022, she knew this was going to be a relationship that would bring significant change to her life.
Rachael had been a stay-at-home mum for 20 years and had previously worked as an administrator and loved it. However, after a traumatic incident in 2012 that took a huge mental toll on her and her family, she never returned to work.
Realising that she was losing her confidence and having gone through several other employment service providers for over nine years, she knew she had to pick herself up and return to normalcy. That was when she reached out to Asuria’s Ballarat Team for help and was soon enrolled into our Workforce Australia Services.
Tiarna and Rachael quickly developed a bond that enabled Rachael to slowly open up about her past. Empathetically, Tiarna listened, and the two worked together to find an employment pathway that would not only suit Rachael’s needs, but also cater to her boundaries, while enabling her to address her trauma during their weekly/fortnightly catchup sessions.
Despite her trauma, Rachael decided that it was time to make a return to the field of work she once loved, despite knowing that it was going to be an uphill task. Thankfully, Rachael had Tiarna’s emotional support, empathy and employment expertise, to help ease her back into administrative work.
Only wanting the best for Rachael, Tiarna reached out to Asuria’s Employment Expert, Brad, to explore other local employers who could potentially hire Rachael. Brad immediately knew the perfect workplace for Rachael and proceeded to set her up with an interview at the Ballarat Meat Company.
A local family business with over 40 years' experience over three generations, the Ballarat Meat Company has been working with Asuria for their recruitment needs for three years and have always been willing to work with our Employment Experts to provide opportunities for long-term unemployed job seekers to thrive.
To get Rachael prepped and ready for the interview, the Asuria Ballarat Team supplied her with appropriate and comfortable clothing for her interview, as well as fuel vouchers to get her to and from the interview.
“My Asuria Mentor Tiarna has been a great support by checking in with me regularly. Also, Brad keeps in touch via email and phone calls. I am grateful that they were really supportive,” said Rachael.
After successfully acing the interview with Leanne, owner of Ballarat Meat Company, Rachael was offered the position of Bookkeeper, and officially commenced part-time employment in October 2022.
Rachael is now five months into her role and is loving being back in action as an administrator, as it has helped her rediscover aspects of her life that she thought had been lost forever. Although going back to work took some getting used to after being long-term unemployed for 20 years, Rachael says the team at Ballarat Meat Company have been nothing but encouraging and patient in enabling her to succeed in her role.
“My job makes me feel very happy, and now that I’m actually employed, it gives me a purpose every day. I feel great coming to work and it’s exciting because every day is different, and I really like the people that I work with, everyone has been really supportive. I was a little bit overwhelmed at first, but the more practice that I’ve had; I’ve just progressed massively,” said Rachael.
Having had much success with Asuria and her new role, Rachael offered her advice to any job seekers who may be long-term unemployed and feeling helpless.
“My advice for anyone looking for work is to never give up, and to reach out to Asuria because they’ve been a great support. Stay persistent and just keep trying.”
If you would like support in finding and keeping a job, click here to learn more about Asuria's Workforce Australia Services.
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