Lidia
Lidia arrived in Australia in 1997 as a 16-year-old refugee from East Timor. After completing English language school and Year 12, and with help from the Brotherhood, she found work in the hospitality industry. But following the economic downturn she needed our help again.
For six years Lidia worked as an apprentice chef, supporting herself financially and sending money home to her mother in East Timor. But early this year her employer went out of business. Lidia was left jobless and struggling to make ends meet.
Despite her steady work history, Lidia tried for months to find work independently but had no luck. ‘I hadn’t updated my résumé for six years as I didn’t have any experience to [do that].’
Lidia sought advice at the Brotherhood’s new Centre for Work and Learning. She met regularly with her Work and Learning Advisor, Olive, who developed a work and training strategy with her. Lidia participated in individual and group training sessions and was given opportunities for work experience.
Through the Brotherhood’s partnership with Woolworths, Olive was able to assist Lidia to see a direct line of sight to potential permanent employment through participation in a three-day Woolworths Workshop at the Brotherhood's Centre for Work and Learning.
In July, after nearly eight months of unemployment, Lidia was offered a permanent position at Woolworths.
‘I was so happy. It was so exciting’, she says.