It’s no secret that family comes first when it comes to being a parent. For Nathan, it was all about finding a workplace that could welcome this in helping him reach his career goals.   

Nathan connected with Bamara through the ParentsNext program in March 2021, delivered in Maitland, after being out of work for several years. Despite over twenty years of experience as a labourer, Nathan came to a point where he had to change priorities and become the primary carer for his children, leaving the workforce for more than three years to do so.  

Upon connecting with his Bamara Support Mentor, Lisa, she immediately saw him as adaptable and reliable with a strong work ethic. Nathan had raised some issues he was facing as he tried to get back into work. Although having stable work history, Nathan did not have any qualifications or work-related licences, or a resume to assist with his job searching. Industries he’d previously worked in couldn’t accommodate his parental responsibilities, and with the process of looking for work being mainly online, Nathan needed help to become work-ready again.  

Nathan and Lisa came out of these discussions with a clear set of goals to work towards. These included finding a suitable industry to work within, gaining relevant qualifications to support his desired work, and finding a workplace that could provide parent-friendly employment. From here, it was all about creating the path to make those goals a reality.

“Our support mentors adapted to provide the right resources and encouragement to help Nathan,” said Lisa. 

The first step of this was to get Nathan enrolled in a course. With Bamara’s support, he began a Certificate II in Community Services to qualify for the industry he wished to transition into. Bamara also arranged for a laptop for Nathan to support his studies.

“Nathan was supported to explore a range of career opportunities,” said Lisa.

“He was given a space to follow through with ideas and reach the objective of gaining work.”  

During this time, Nathan attended a jobs expo to connect with employers in council and community service industries. He had worked with Lisa to prepare a resume, which he used in his introductions to employers.  

At this event, Nathan met with representatives from a labour company, through which he found a job as an entry-level council worker. Each day he will be completing a variety of tasks, so to commence he needed a White Card and Traffic Control Ticket. Bamara organised both of these to be completed before Nathan reached his start date. 

Nathan is enjoying his new role, and is thrilled to have found somewhere that can welcome his priorities as a parent and set him up for a bright future.

“Nathan feels his new work will benefit his family and provide the right foundation for the rest of his career,” said Lisa.

Bamara is very proud of Nathan’s dedication to achieving goals during his time with us, and we wish him every success in starting a new chapter in his career.