Breanna kickstarts a career that is right up her alley 

It is amazing what you can achieve with a little positive support and encouragement. 

When she was younger, Breanna had worked at a local bowling alley in Darwin but had had to leave that job when she became a mother. 

As is so often the case, when Breanna tried to get back into the workforce, she struggled because of lack of qualifications, and the fact that she had not been working for a lengthy period. But getting qualified requires time, and with young children this can be hard to manage. She began to lose confidence, which sapped her motivation. 

Breanna was first referred to Bamara’s ParentsNext program at Palmerston in October 2020, where she connected with our Support Mentor, Edith. 

Edith helped Breanna to recognise her strengths and the quality of her experience. She also helped Breanna to identify a qualification pathway and assisted her with a laptop so that she could study from home. Edith enrolled Breanna in more immediate micro-qualifications so that she could start picking up casual work while she was working toward her longer-term goal of a management position in Hospitality. 

After a false start with her chosen qualification path, Breanna was able to find a course that suited her and turned her sights back to her former employer. 

A position opened with her former employer back in August 2021, which Breanna initially accepted, but it turned out not to be what she wanted. With her newfound confidence and qualifications as a barista and her Working with Children check, Breanna knew she could take on a more important role and had the courage to step away from the limiting position.  

When a more senior position in Guest Services opened in September, her former employer was more than happy to have Breanna back. 

Edith helped Breanna through the ParentsNext Participation Fund facilitating not only the courses she needed to attend, but also the computing resources she needed to be able to do it from home. But Breanna got to where she is now because of her own determination and hard work. 

“I’m so happy with Breanna,” Edith said, “coping with young children, studying at the same time and she never gave up!” 

Breanna is now anticipating a promotion to the management role she was aiming at.