No longer feeling stuck

Vicki* is a 43 year old single parent to a son born in 2018, and was referred to the Accoras ParentsNext program in November 2021. Dwindling casual work hours, and an unfriendly culture meant that her current employment at a Department store wasn’t working out. At the initial interview with the Accoras Case Coordinator, she seemed worried and unable to see a clear path forward to stability, mainly because she had no knowledge of how the program worked, or how it could help her specifically.

With considerable work experience, plus a Bachelors degree, Vicki wanted to understand how she could reposition herself to get a steady role. She also wanted to set a goal of getting her drivers licence, along with attending a relevant study course to increase her skills.

Initially, The Accoras Case Coordinator explained how the team could provide support, funding and guidance along the way to help her reach her goals. Vicki decided that she would like to study a Certificate IV in Training and Assessment, so they helped her to enrol through Queensland Tafe under the Fee Free Initiative. It was close to where she lived, and easy to attend while she continued to work part-time.

The Accoras Case Coordinator helped Vicki update her resume, and cover letter, and they worked together to practise for interviews, as it had been a considerable amount of time since her last job application.

Vicki felt prepared and confident to start job searching, with regular contact and support from the Accoras Case Coordinator, and found success with a part-time manager role at a clothing company. Part of the role requires her to wear clothing from the employer company while on shift, so Accoras used the ParentsNext Participation Fund to acquire the appropriate pieces.

Vicki says that her life has changed for the better since being in the ParentsNext program, and she no longer feels stuck, or without direction. She’s happy with how her studies are going, and her most recent assignment submission was a pass.