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Young job seeker lands dream job, kickstarting his career, despite numerous hurdles along the way

When Izeke first came through the doors of our Gympie office, he was couch surfing and struggling even to get enough money to cover his essentials.

“It was hard to depend on other people for the essentials like food. I felt unentitled, like not even being able to get a coffee. I was depressed, feeling like I wasn’t contributing to society as a person,” said Izeke.

Despite these hurdles that no young person should have to face, Izeke was always positive. He would always show up to his appointments and engage with our Transition to Work (TtW) Youth Advisor, Nina, with a smile

“We got to know Izeke really well. He was one of those young people who always answered the phone and always attended his appointments. He ticked all the boxes and did everything he was asked. He was engaging. He was cheerful. He was prepared to try anything,” said Nina.

Little did they know, Izeke’s dreams would be chased more than 20 hours away from home in the Northern Territory.  

Taking the first step

Izeke was struggling with obtaining regular payments due to his age when he first started with Workforce Australia – Transition to Work (TtW) delivered by ETC and started his appointments with his Youth Advisor, Nina.

Nina’s favourite question is “without any boundaries or limitations, what is your dream job?” not everyone knows, and not everyone is ready to answer that question, but Izeke knew straight away.

“I want to be a Chef,” said Izeke.

Izeke felt like this dream wasn’t within his reach because at the time he had already gone through a number of jobs.

“The employers all wanted me to be on Centrelink so that they could claim the wage subsidy. I worked for a lot of businesses cooking, but they just treated me awfully. It was really disheartening and just drove me further into the ground,” said Izeke.

ETC wasn’t so quick to dismiss Izeke’s dreams, he had already taken the first step. He was here.

Building a support system

Izeke’s positivity was contagious. He had faced countless hurdles and hardships, but he had built himself a strong network of support in the community, and ETC is proud to be part of that network.

“The ETC TtW team were amazing support, and they made me believe in myself again and not worry about the little things. The biggest thing was the great people. They are real people, ETC wouldn’t be what it is without the people,” said Izeke

Nina and the team knew that with his attitude and support system, it was only a matter of time before the right opportunity came his way. And then it did, from halfway across the country.

One big step

One of ETC’s Recruitment Advisors, Sarah, had a friend, Sam, who owned a gas line company in the Northern Territory. Sam needed someone to live on-site as a camp cook.

Sarah thought of Izeke straight away and called Sam to iron out the details and fought to get Izeke the role with the best conditions possible. Sarah called Izeke and asked him to come into the office, “We’ve got some good news”.

Izeke was ecstatic, this was everything he could hope for – employment, housing, stability – all rolled into one package that felt too good to be true.

But it wasn’t without hurdles. Between accepting the role and committing to the move, Izeke’s self-doubt set in.

“At first, I was so happy. I walked out the door from ETC on a high. All of my problems were solved in one hit. Over the weekend my doubts started to crawl in. By Monday I was running on no sleep and had managed to freak myself out about it. I really thought that I wasn’t good enough and that I would mess it up… But the ETC team supported me through my tears and fears,” said Izeke.

A support system doesn’t even begin to describe the way the community came together for Izeke. Community Action provided bedding, toiletries and sundries, gift vouchers, uniforms, bags, Chef equipment, cooking books, and more came from every corner of the community.

Izeke has settled in more than anyone could have hoped; most of all Izeke himself and Sam couldn’t be happier for him.

“I only met the lad for about half an hour before I hired him. But I sure am happy with the way it has turned out. He’s filled the space great, and it’s having the effect that I hoped it would. Everyone is happy,” said Sam.

“The experiences, the cooking, the people. The traditional landowners. My culinary adventures have started with the Indigenous people. I’m going to make a life out of it. Going overseas to live out my dream of working my way around the world and learning to cook in the traditional way,” Izeke said about his role and hopes for the future.

Izeke stays in contact with the ETC Gympie team and stops in whenever he comes back into town.

“Izeke stands taller than ever now. His eyes are bright, his skin is clear, and his smile is so wide. He is more comfortable in his own skin. He is excited about life once more. He is seeing new things and having great adventures,” Nina said.

Workforce Australia – Transition to Work

ETC provides Transition to Work (TtW) across the Wivenhoe and Wide Bay Sunshine Coast QLD, to see if this program is delivered by ETC in your area, view our locations page – Find your closest ETC site >

You can also find a full list of providers across Australia on workforceaustralia.gov.au.


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