Healthy future ahead
routine was killing me. I’d do the vacuuming and the dishes and scratch my head.
“I struggled with that lack of purpose. I’ve been in here (WDC) about four or five times and they really helped with information and giving me a direction, helping me understand my options.”
Taff’s WDC case manager Jodie Walsh has provided guidance through his transition.
Pathology, he hopes, will allow him to tap into the much lauded goldmine jobs market in the health industry. After years surrounded by blokes on the hot and sweaty Alcoa production floor, he’s unfazed at the possibility of being in a femaledominated field — and that fact may even prove an advantage in finding work.
WDC manager Sharon Kerlin validates Taff’s decision, saying health is the industry proving by far most popular with former manufacturing workers choosing to retrain.
Others have fallen back on old skills and licences, such as truck and forklift driving, or gaming. No matter the job, they just want to work.
“Some people come in really confused, not having a clue where to begin,” Ms Kerlin said.
“Some want to find a job but have never written a resume in their life.
“Once you start talking and building trust there are usually things people have thought about doing but might not have been brave enough to voice it yet.
“It’s not like going shopping; you don’t just pick something and hope it’s OK. People need to learn about industries, job prospects, whether they can do work experience or volunteer and a range of other considerations.
“The great thing about the centre is that it doesn’t matter where people are in the journey. We’re able to help with the next step.”
Deciding on the next can be complex — government restrictions around funding and course eligibility are mind-boggling at times — and also emotional.
“I’ve had people say, ‘I need to find a job because I’m turning into a horrible person’,” Ms Kerlin said.
“Some people thought they’d dealt with it and that they were OK, but the situation has hit them at a particular point when they’ve realised they don’t have a familiar place to go.
“Some just want a holiday and thinking time, and others like Taff are ready for the next step. Everyone is at a different point right now.”
Skilling the Bay manager Greg Leahy is one person firmly optimistic about the future.
He says the doom and gloom mythology surrounding the Geelong economy has long been debunked and things are looking up.
“Look at the way so many industries are growing in Geelong, look at the strength of Deakin and The Gordon, look at how much the population is growing and all the services people are going to need,” he said.
“The sky certainly is not falling in on Geelong, it’s just that the opportunities in front of us are different, and we need to help people figure out how to capitalise.”