When you are young it is hard to decide what you want to do with the rest of your life. For 21-year-old Sydney-born Zade El-Hawat, that self-discovery was even harder.
Zade’s parents migrated from Lebanon to Australia to give Zade a better life, and did not speak English. On top of this, Zade found it difficult to concentrate and remain engaged at school.
Unable to excel in the rigid school systems and build his literacy skills, he went to receive an expert opinion. He was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.
“When Zade came to Joblife almost two years ago he wanted to study and make his parents proud. He didn’t want to be on Centrelink and rely on their payments. He wanted to be the first one in his family to get educated and get a good job.” Employment Support Officer Nefa Alic-Pirgic says.
“The old Zade is gone as he is now much more professional and carries himself well. He is driven and focused on his future. When I first met him, he came into the LWB office and was lying on the couch with his shoes up and refused to change his unprofessional email address.
I took the time to build our relationship to change his attitude. I said to him, ‘I want my clients to have a better life, I want them to do better. So, tell me, what do you want to do? How can I help you do better?’” Nefa explains.
With Nefa’s help, Zade enrolled into a Certificate III in Logistics and Warehousing, completing it with flying colours.
“To get him through the course, Zade would come into the office weekly. I would hold a study group and help Zade with completing his assessments.” Nefa explains.
“It was easy as Zade is a fast learner. To fix his literacy problems, I had to adjust and simplify the language so he could understand the task. He had the knowledge, just needed to be told in a different way sometimes.” Says Nefa.
To prepare Zade for work, Joblife organised work clothes, boots and a police check. Nefa created a resume for Zade, an essential document he never had.
After all that hard work, Zade has been offered a full-time role at Toll Eastern Creek.
If you are also asking the question “where to go?”, your answer is “Joblife”. We can help you find the right path. To contact us, click here.
Any participants in this article were being supported by our team at Joblife Employment and Jobfind at the time of publishing.
