September 17, 2014
Young job seekers Cooper and Tai are refining their skills and gaining work experience, while undertaking a Work for the Dole (WfD) activity with Blacktown Police Citizens Youth Club (PCYC). Having recently established the activity with PCYC for the two job seekers, Jobfind’s Danielle will also be supporting the club as a celebrity boxer in its Fight Night fundraising event this Friday.
Tai came to Jobfind after struggling to find employment for the past two years since leaving school, due to his limited job skills and work experience. He had resigned himself to the fact he couldn’t find a job and started off as non-compliant, missing appointments and work placements. As Tai’s Work Experience Consultant, Danielle was keen to reengage Tai and get him into a positive mindset about working. She began looking for local organisations that could potentially provide Tai with a work experience opportunity tailored to addressing his employment barriers of inactivity and low self-esteem, coming across Blacktown’s PCYC.
PCYC is a community organisation that promotes discipline, fitness, health and safety to young people through its community activities and gym classes. The values and focus on youth is what encouraged Danielle to approach PCYC about organising a Work for the Dole programme with them in August 2014.
Young job seeker Cooper was also looking for help from Jobfind to gain employment. Similarly, he had limited job skills, being unemployed for most of the time since finishing school in 2012. He was interested in finding work experience in administration, to improve his employability as a receptionist or administrative assistant. Danielle thought that PCYC’s office facilities could provide that experience in a supportive and youth-friendly environment.
Danielle brokered the PCYC Work for Dole programme in late August, with Tai beginning work in grounds maintenance and cleaning, and Cooper working at the club’s reception desk and admin office. Cooper is currently gaining skills in filing, answering phone calls, working the till, undertaking data entry and assisting with visitor queries. Tai is preparing the PCYC facilities for the centre’s weekly fitness classes and mowing the lawns.
Tai is also currently assisting with setting up for the PCYC Fight Night, to be held this Friday, 19 September at Blacktown Worker’s Club, which raises funds for the club’s activities. Danielle, who will be representing Jobfind as a celebrity boxer in the event, will face off against a local police officer on the night and has been training hard for her boxing debut.
“PCYC Blacktown is proud to be partnering with Jobfind in the Work for the Dole programme. As a community focused organisation, we pride ourselves on providing opportunities for young people to become more active in life as well as developing skills, character and leadership – all of which this partnership will achieve,” says Joanne Tau, Club Manager PCYC Blacktown.
