John finds success through perseverance and hope

25 June 2019

John finds success through perseverance and hope

CoAct is an organisation that is passionate about breaking down the stereotypes surrounding disability employment. As part of our commitment to that cause, we have launched a project called “Change the Story”, an online film festival that includes seven short films showcasing the real human stories behind the disability statistics in this country. It is our aim with this project, to show Australia what ability truly means.

Introducing  John

In this film we meet John, a long-term unemployed man facing many physical, social and financial barriers to finding work. John’s story highlights how valuable the relationship between a recruitment provider and a job seeker can be, and how, with the right support, anything is possible.

When John approached CoAct Service Partner, Community Solutions and Skills Plus, for support, he had been unemployed for six years, was extremely isolated and had very little hope for his future. He was teamed up with Wendy, and with her support, John was able to flourish.

John came to us with very little hope. He didn’t think he’d ever be able to find employment or find a career path in his chosen field. He’s grown a lot over the last six months

– Wendy

Sometimes success takes patience

John’s recruitment partner, Wendy, puts a lot of time and effort into building strong connections with her customers. She worked closely with John to understand his unique barriers and how they might create challenges as he moved forward into employment.

John’s anxiety meant that communication was often a challenge for him, so when finding connections for him, she focused on positions that didn’t require a lot of communication with others. John thought he might like to try construction and driving heavy machinery, and with Wendy’s help he was offered a position with Williams Grader Hire as a roller operator.

After some initial challenges – which Wendy mediated on John’s behalf – things are going well in the role.

John was so grateful to Wendy for her help throughout his job seeker journey, that he used his first pay cheque to buy her some flowers as a thank you.

In this film we use stillness to convey the time it took John to find work, and the patience that we sometimes require before we can move forward.

Watch John’s story here.

Illustration of staff member sitting at her work desk

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