Neil from North Yunderup, Western Australia has had his fair share of bad news. Neil proves that with hard work and determination, you can do anything you put your mind to.
In 2012, Neil was a Truck driver for a gas company. He was happy in his position, travelling and loving life. As Neil stated, “life couldn’t be sweeter”. This all changed when in February 2012, Neil lost vision in both eyes. Neil explains this period of his life as the beginning of a rabbit hole. He spent six months in hospital and overnight, his life turned upside down.
At the same time Neil’s career was forced to come to an end, and he was learning to live with a new vision impairment, Neil was also about to become a father to a baby girl.
Although his life changed overnight, Neil decided to take a negative experience and turn it into a positive, by enjoying his time at home, reskilling himself and embracing his role as a stay at home Dad.
Two years later, in 2014, Neil, with assistance from an employment services provider, gained a position as a cleaner. Neil enjoyed this position, but when the company shut its doors in 2018, he was back at square one, and unemployed.
This all changed when Neil joined atWork Australia in Dale, WA and was connected with Hayley, a dedicated, friendly Job Coach. Hayley recognised Neil’s positive attitude, determination and great skills in cleaning.
“Neil has a great sense of humour and really understands how we can help him,” Hayley commented, recognising that Neil was active in chasing any potential opportunities.
Hayley used her employer connections to get Neil an interview with a large cleaning company. As Neil previously enjoyed his position cleaning, he was excited to hopefully get back into the industry.
At the same time, Hayley supported Neil in a leadership course he was interested in, to grow Neil’s confidence and skills.
After a successful interview, Neil was offered the job at the cleaning company. “I was shell-shocked and didn’t think this would ever happen so quickly, I was grateful for the opportunity,” says Neil.
Neil commented on how important working was to him, “I want to work to not only make a difference in my life but to show my daughter that you can achieve anything if you put your mind to it.”
“My Job Coach, Hayley, encouraged me to think outside the box, was very accommodating with a great sense of humour,” says Neil.
“Neil is a very motivated client. He has overcome personal barriers and is such a positive and inspiring person. He has been an absolute pleasure to work with, and I couldn’t be happier about his result – finding the right job with the right employer,” says Hayley.
atWork Australia help people find the right job for them. To see how we can help you or someone you know find meaningful work, call 1300 080 856 or enquire online today.