Jacob* had been living in a hostel for 10 months and experiencing a number of personal barriers when his employment consultant referred him to Konekt for Professional Services.
Originally from the Philippines, he was experiencing long-term unemployment and needed to find work to continue to support his three children.
He was a registered nurse in the Philippines and was having difficulty gaining registration in Australia as he had not recently practiced.
Jacob was experiencing uncertainty about his employability and was unsure how to get registered and successfully find a role.
In addition, his unstable hostel accommodation resulted in having difficulties with sleep and lacking self-confidence.
Jacob was eligible for support from Konekt’s Professional Services which are one of a range of dedicated tailored employment support services which support job seekers in receipt of Government income support payments, veterans, parents and injured workers.
Konekt began to help Jacob by conducting a comprehensive initial appointment, to obtain a clear understanding of his circumstances and allow the team to tailor the service to meet his individual needs.
Over the course of the sessions with Jacob, Konekt provided motivational counselling and education on sleep hygiene and self-care strategies to help increase his confidence.
This helped Jacob to clearly ascertain what kind of work he wanted, and how he could broaden and tailor his search accordingly to give him the best chance of success.
“I was drowning in my sorrows and (Konekt) helped pull me out of it” he said.
Jacob is now working towards gaining his Australian nursing registration and is working two jobs.
Having stable income has had a number of positive impacts for Jacob – his sleep has improved and he is saving to move out of the hostel.
Most of all, he has been able to support his children now he is on a higher income which was a major motivator for him.
“My sons are happy again as I have more money to send for their care” Jacob said.
* Name has been changed.