Gary has a spring in his step and is looking toward a brighter future after landing a new job following a long spell on the disability support pension.
Before his health problems worsened, Gary had successfully held down full-time jobs in the warehousing industry.
However, for much of the past decade he has been unable to independently carry out routine activities in his daily life, preventing him from working and earning his own living.
It was only recently that Gary began to turn his life around after moving back to his hometown of Geelong, where he made contact with the Drysdale office of atWork Australia and Job Coach Shareece.
Gary told Shareece that being home made him feel more secure and able to take control of his health issues.
“He also said he wanted to get a job so that he could again be financially independent and improve his self-esteem,” Shareece said.
The first step was to address the barriers that were preventing Gary from confidently applying for work, including his limited education, employment history and job-seeking skills. The pair spent their fortnightly appointments focused on building his work capacity and ability to cope with workplace stress and pressure.
Later, when Gary felt more competent, they developed an updated résumé and cover letter, which were sent off in response to local vacancies in warehousing, an area he was excited to return to.
An overwhelmingly positive response followed from employers wishing to hire Gary. They only asked that he update his forklift licence, which atWork Australia was able to fund. Shareece also bought a new pair of safety boots to help Gary out in his new role.
“After 10 years of relying on government benefits, Gary is now in paid employment and with the continued support of atWork Australia he’s headed in the right direction to gain back his independence,” Shareece said.