NCIE Job Ready

Job Ready Graduate - 2017

“I participated in the Job Ready course a year ago, prior to that I had a traineeship, I didn’t really like it and it really killed my confidence in the workforce. I knew about the Job Ready program because a lot of family members and friends have done it and I decided to join.

I found that when I did the course I gained a lot of confidence, I met a lot of people and made heaps of new skills.”

- Abigail, 2018. IDX Facilitator and Job Ready Graduate

Job Ready Graduate - 2017

"I finished my HSC in 2016 and started Uni but then there were some family issues and I needed to get a job. I heard about the NCIE Job Ready course on Koori Radio and so I started it in July and graduated in September. I started the job as Administration Coordinator at the NCIE in October.

Job Ready gave me a good start into working life. Hospitality is something you can do everywhere and that's what interested me. But also, it gave me confidence. This is my first proper full time job, I didn't know anyone around here and it's been a good experience.

The gap year program in the Army is for students who've done HSC get to experience the defence forces for a year.

First we do 80 days recruit training, then I'm doing driver specialist training for another 70 days and then we get posted somewhere for the rest of the year.

After that, next year I really want to start back at Uni and do Nursing. It's easy to get stressed when you finish school and you start Uni and then everything doesn't go to plan. But on the other hand, it's been a really useful year for me. There's lots of opportunities and Job Ready helped open the door to a few of them for me.

Job Ready Graduate - 2016

Shyarna (pictured here with Aunty Beryl Van Oploo and Harry Azar from the Park Café in Redfern) graduated at the end of 2016 and is working with Harry at his popular café. Shy and Harry met at the NCIE's Job at First Bite networking event in November 2016. She's one of the many graduates Harry's employed in the seven years since his café opened.

A local who grew up in the area and played footy on the old Redfern Oval, Harry's been working with Aunty Beryl and Job Ready graduates for the past eight years. "I'm a great supporter of Aunty Beryl's work," Harry says. "When she rings and says she has someone for me to talk to, I say yes send them down. The Job Ready people that Aunty Beryl sends me are, indeed, Job Ready."I trust that relationship. I get good people, they get a job and I learn more about culture. It's a win-win for all of us."