Mission Australia recently appointed six caseworkers at Moruya, Batemans Bay, Ulladulla, Nowra, Vincentia and Bega under the Federal Transition to Work program.

At Moruya Eva Wheatley is currently working with 10 youth. 

“It has been going really well and services have taken it on board,” she said. 

“I have early school leavers as well as people who have finished year 12 that just need a bit of a helping hand getting over some barrier in the program here.”

Ms Wheatley was hoping to have more youth join the program. Already, she has found education placements for youth in the program. 

“I had an Indigenous boy start in Aboriginal Primary Health Care Cert III at Moruya TAFE,” she said. 

"Another girl is doing horticulture and another girl is doing her RSA and RCG. We are yet to place anyone in employment. We are working on getting them job-ready.”

In addition to seeking suitable employment opportunities, Mrs Wheatley works closely with participants to educate them on workplace expectations as well as helping them to develop the skills and resume expected.

“Some young people just don’t know where to look for work,” she said. 

“We help them get their resume up to scratch and help them prepare for interviews. In the first instance, if someone looks at a resume and it is not up to scratch, without meeting that person, they won’t go any further.”

At Batemans Bay, Scott Dempsey said the program worked closely with the community. 

“I like the transition to work program. The program is flexible to enable us to work closely with the local community and its employers,” he said.

“Because we are able to work closely with the clients, I believe it helps them feel validated and in return my clients are highly engaged in our services.”

Young people aged 15-21 who might experience barriers or difficulty transition from education to employment are urged to register for the program. Phone 1800 796 755.