Cherrniece learns to believe in herself when she finds dream job

When life isn’t where you want it to be, confidence can be the first thing to dip. On a journey to find her calling, Cherrniece worked with Bamara to build her skillset and find her place in the career world.

Cherrniece connected with Bamara for the ParentsNext program in August 2021, delivered in Tuncurry. She had requested to join Bamara after hearing positive things from another participant.  

Cherrniece had been out of the workforce for several years and lacked confidence in her abilities. When she was introduced to Bamara Support Mentor Mervyn, he could see that Cherrniece had much more to offer than she could see in herself.  

“She did not believe she could ever gain work, let alone something she really wanted,” said Mervyn.

Looking to the near future, Cherrniece wanted to get her licence to increase her chances of finding work. Her long-term goal and dream career was to become a Nurse and find work where she could help others.

“Together we looked at a health poster and identified a good starting point: aged care and home care,” said Mervyn.

The first step on this journey to employment was to discuss different areas Cherrniece might wish to work in. Noticing a pull towards the health industry, they created a tailored resume to apply for work in her desired area.  

To kickstart a few goals, Cherrniece was referred to the Driver Licensing Access Program (DLAP) to get her driver training underway. Cherrniece powered through this training and passed her driving test with flying colours, which increased the opportunities she could pursue and gave her a well-deserved confidence boost.  

With the support of Bamara and the Tuncurry team, Cherrniece was successful in gaining an interview with a local Aboriginal medical centre. By translating her abilities into words, Cherrniece won the employers over and was offered the role of Trainee Aboriginal Health Worker.  

Commencing her Traineeship in February, Cherrniece is currently working away in a job that inspires and challenges her to grow. To support this growth, Bamara provided Cherrniece with a laptop to continue her studies at home and industry shoes and work clothes to ease her transition into employment.  

“Cherrniece has overcome so many barriers in a very short period of time, and she has been able to secure her dream job,” said Mervyn.

Cherrniece has found her place in the health industry and looks forward to learning under a supportive team. Bamara’s Tuncurry team is incredibly proud of her progress and looks forward to watching her future unfold.