Jobs Victoria
Video Transcript
[Vision: Stephen walking]
Stephen
I know I will miss my country.
[Vision: Stephen speaking - Photograph in refugee camp]
I will miss my culture but I put my family first because my kids will have a good life.
[Vision: Stephen speaking]
Shanika
When I decided to move to Australia, Duveen didn’t like it.
[Vision: Duveen waiting for bus]
Alana
That’s when I like really started going downhill and just never really leave the house.
Mike
[Vision: Mike sitting under tree]
I was convinced that I was going to end up in a nursing home, that I was worthless, what was the purpose of me being here?
[Vision: Mike speaking]
Rodney
[Vision: Rodney looking over pasture- Rodney speaking]
It was very much like grabbing a whole heap of darts and throwing them at a dartboard and hoping that one of those darts would land in a job.
[Vision: WORK WITH ME - Wisdom]
[Vision: Swimming pool - Mike speaking]
I was just sitting there and I just thought I’m better than this.
[Vision: Mike walking beside pool]
I didn’t want to be that sad individual that I was.
[Vision: Mike speaking]
You know, I need a reason to get up in the morning, so I thought okay, let’s get myself into a routine.
[Vision: Mike swimming]
You get out what you put in, in life, you know?
I was definitely determined and capable of, you know, motivating myself.
I thought to myself hang in there, something’s coming up.
[Vision: Mike sitting in pool thinking]
There’s no reason I can’t be in a paid job.
Jake Equid - Jobs Victoria Mentor - Workways
And Michael was clearly super keen to work.
At Workways, we are not an agency that will just place anyone into any position that they are not going to be comfortable in.
So, it’s really about finding the correct position for each individual.
[Vision: Mike speaking]
I just felt, what a sense of relief you know?
I just knew something was going to come up.
[Vision: Jake with Michael]
We managed to get him a job interview and once we had that locked in, I rang Wear for Success in South Melbourne.
[Vision: Staff at Wear for Success - suits]
Wear for Success provide clothing for interviews for unemployed people and they dress everyone for free.
[Vision: Mike being measured and dressed for interview]
I felt fantastic.
I felt like a bloody ripper.
[Vision: Mike speaking]
I felt like for the first time in my life people are going to take me seriously.
[Vision: Shanika speaking - waves lapping on the shore - Shanika and Duveen walking on beach]
One thing we both enjoy is going for walks and also at that time he opens up and talks to me a lot.
Duveen - Shanika’s son
[Vision: Shanika and Duveen talking]
Anytime I said anything that was negative she would always tell me just think the good side, you know, that we are here and that we have the opportunities that we do.
[Vision: Shanika speaking]
I was still trying to be positive but it was getting harder.
[Vision: Shanika praying]
When you don’t even get a job interview you feel like you are useless or not good enough.
[Vision: Shanika speaking - Shanika speaking with elderly lady]
So I signed up as a community visitor to visit a lady in an aged care home.
Doing something for the others, it helped me to feel good.
[Vision: Shanika speaking]
One of the advices I got from friends was you have to network, you have to make connections.
Rohan Weeraratne - Jobs Victoria Mentor, Australian Multicultural Community Services
[Vision: Shanika speaking with Rohan]
I manage an employment program funded by Jobs Victoria.
Shanika called us looking for work.
I re-formatted her CV, and then we started coaching her how to do the interview.
[Vision: Shanika smiling - Shanika on computer and phone]
I came across an advertisement from PT Hydraulics and received a call for an interview.
[Vision: PT Hydraulics offices - Shanika looking at building - Shanika speaking]
Ah, I was very nervous even I thought I knew I can do the job.
[Vision: Shanika entering building - Shanika speaking]
I am a friendly person but I didn’t use to greet people when I see them because I think it’s the culture.
[Vision: Shanika shaking hands with interviewer]
One thing Rohan taught us was about socialising even in a job interview or wherever you meet people.
[Vision: Shanika being interviewed]
Ah Shanika, I am interested to know what your hobbies are away from the work place?
I like reading books and going for walks on the beach with my son.
[Vision: Shanika talking with Duveen at home]
And finally I got the job so I was very happy, very relieved.
[Vision: Shanika speaking]
It felt like the first step that we’re going to be okay.
[Vision: Bulmer Farms sign - Rodney being interviewed]
Andrew Bulmer - Managing Director, Bulmer Farms
When we’d finished the interview with Rod, there was just something that was genuine about this guy that we thought if we give him a shot, he may turn into a long-term prospect for us.
[Vision: Andrew on phone - Rodney speaking]
When I got the call I was very, very excited.
I actually ran around like a little school girl telling my family that I have got a job.
[Vision: Cattle in pasture - Lindenow sign - Andrew speaking]
Rodney wasn’t located close to Lindenow when he took the job on.
He came here initially and rented a motel room for a period of time.
[Vision: Rodney working with other staff]
I borrowed money twice off my sister to pay for my accommodation.
[Vision: Rodney counting broccoli]
And pride got the better of me and I thought well I can’t ask again.
[Vision: Rodney speaking]
I felt I was already a burden enough.
So I decided to sleep in the car while I was waiting for a house to come available.
[Vision: Bulmer Farm at night - Rodney asleep in car]
Being the Chairman of the East Gippsland Food Cluster I thought that Rodney would be a fantastic candidate for the Jobs Victoria program.
[Vision: Andrew speaking - Rodney working with other staff]
Initially, we were able to kit him out with a brand new set of clothes, a set of work boots.
That was a great support to guy like him that was struggling with his cashflow situation at the time.
[Vision: Andrew writing at desk]
Through the Cluster’s involvement in the program we were able to go out and seek more training for him.
[Vision: Rodney counting broccoli]
I just started off as a baby broccoli counter.
I would literally just count broccoli from one container to the next.
[Vision: Rodney driving forklift]
And then I slowly progressed.
One bloke left and they needed someone to drive the truck, and we needed a tractor driver.
[Vision: Rodney speaking - Rodney working with forklift]
I started to drive forklifts and just slowly increased what I was doing on the farm.
He’s genuine.
He’s happy to be here.
He’s engaging.
He wants to learn.
He wants to develop himself and he wants the business to go forward at the same time.
[Vision: Andrew speaking]
That’s what makes Rod such a special employee.
[Vision: Rodney talking with other driver]
I like my work, I like what I do.
I like getting up, going to work, the boys I work with.
[Vision: Rodney speaking]
A job changes your life, it changes everything.
[Vision: Alana in bed sleeping and getting up]
I kind of just hit a really low point in my life and that’s when I went to go seek help from professional psychologists.
[Vision: Alana thinking]
I was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder.
[Vision: Alana speaking]
So having borderline personality disorder it’s almost like this collective emotion of every other time you felt anxious or frustrated hitting you all at once.
It’s quite overwhelming and you always have like a little bit of a breakdown.
You need to like stop and almost wait for this huge wave to pass by before you can even start thinking straight.
[Vision: Headspace Craigieburn office]
My psychologist actually recommended me to speak to a vocational service at Headspace.
Daniel De Fazio - Jobs Victoria Mentor - Orygen Youth Health and Headspace
For Alana, we understood that she was facing some mental difficulties.
[Vision: Daniel speaking with Alana - Daniel speaking]
What we tried to do was work with Alana closely, do a brief counselling session with her, and then provided some career options.
[Vision: Alana speaking with Daniel - Alana speaking]
It was actually nice to sit down and ask someone that knew what they were doing am I doing this right, and kind of get that reassurance of, like, it’s not just me that’s the problem.
Peter Lietzau - Jobs Victoria Mentor - Workways
[Vision: Peter coaching children in soccer]
Now don’t take the ball off her, pick up another ball.
Good, dribble.
Find your ball.
Renaldo find your ball.
[Vision: Peter collecting soccer equipment]
My role is an Employment Mentor.
[Vision: Peter entering his office - Peter speaking]
I can’t guarantee that I will find them employment but will guarantee that I will help the best I can to get them employment.
[Vision: Peter speaking with Stephen on phone]
Gidday Stephen, how you going?
Stephen was referred to me.
I made the time for him to come into the office.
[Vision: Stephen walking to office]
At the time I went to his office I don’t know how he will receive me.
[Vision: Peter speaking]
Stephen?
[Vision: Peter shaking hands with Stephen - Stephen speaking]
The first time we talked I know this guy is - he’s a good man.
[Vision: Stephen in interview with Peter showing signs of being nervous]
My first impression was dressed in a suit he was immaculate.
[Vision: Peter speaking]
I have a goal that I set myself to be honest with people and straightforward.
[Vision: Stephen getting ready for interview]
When he asked me what I’m doing, I told him the first job, I’m a Minister in the community.
[Vision: Stephen in interview with Peter]
By the end of this I said to him well, your resume is not telling me the story you’ve just told me.
I’ll take notes and then I’m going to rewrite your resume.
[Vision: Stephen walking through park]
Stephen, he was very keen.
And I’d seen him probably six times in two weeks.
I decided that I’d use football as a way of getting him job-ready.
[Vision: Stephen at computer]
In the first quarter we’re going to get your resume and job applications up and ready.
So the second quarter we’ll get these applications in for jobs.
The third quarter was about getting an interview.
If we got to the fourth quarter it meant the game was over and we got a job for him.
[Vision: Peter speaking]
I didn’t think that the first quarter was going to come so quick.
[Vision: Peter shaking hands with Stephen]
We applied for the job at the Moe Community Life Skill Centre.
[Vision: Stephen talking with Peter]
When Stephen got the interview we were both kind of excited.
[Vision: Peter using whiteboard to teach Stephen - Stephen listening]
I spent solidly, for a day or so, going through interview questions with Stephen.
[Vision: Peter speaking - lights on soccer field]
We decided that he would answer self-experience rather than talking textbook answers.
[Vision: Stephen kicking soccer ball at night]
Peter is my mentor, and not only that, my friend.
[Vision: Next Episode]
[Vision: Rodney looking at farm
If anyone was out there that’s in a similar situation to myself, just keep trying.
[Vision: Rodney speaking]
Eventually you will get a job.
[Vision: Stephen speaking - Stephen looking into the night]
I’ve been on a long journey.
[Vision: Stephen speaking - Stephen driving]
I’m still carrying the burden of refugee camp life in my body.
[Vision: Shanika and Duveen walking on beach - Shanika speaking]
When you’re a single mum a job is the most thing, you need that for everything else to fall in place.
[Vision: Alana walking into shop - Alana speaking]
I walked out of there feeling actually really confident about it, and really hopeful.
[Vision: Mike walking up stairs to interview - Mike speaking]
I felt like I was in some wonderful, beautiful, welcoming tea party.
[WORK WITH ME - JOBS VICTORIA]
[If you are seeking employment or looking for staff we are here to work with you - jobs.vic.gov.au]
[The producers would like to thank the participants and their families for sharing their stories.]
[Thanks to the employers: Adecco Australia; Bulmer Farms; Moe Life Skills; PT Hydraulics Australia; Williamson’s FoodWorks]
[Thanks to our Jobs Victoria Partners: Workways Australia; Orygen Youth Health and Headspace; East Gippsland Food Cluster; Australian Multicultural Community Services; Wear for Success]
[For 24/hr crisis support and suicide prevention: Lifeline 13 11 14]
[JOBS VICTORIA]
[VICTORIA State Government]
[Speaker: Authorised by Victorian Government, 1 Treasury Place, Melbourne]