Sydney’s success story: a lesson in committing to achieving goals

When I was first introduced to Coact Connect I felt unsure about beginning the unknown process of finding a new job. I thought it might feel like ‘jumping through hoops’ but it was so much more than that. – Sydney, Customer of CoAct Connect Stones Corner

Despite his initial hesitance, once we’d introduced Sydney to his mentor Annette at our new Stones Corner site in Brisbane and reassured him that we would be right by his side, something amazing happened: Sydney committed to push through his reservations and attend every single requirement and workshop, without exception. And that’s exactly what he did.

Meeting the CoAct Connect team at Stones Corner

Sydney is an older gentleman who has worked hard all his life in the specialised field of laying floors. In his later years, he experienced a family crisis which resulted in him losing some confidence, ‘getting a bit lost’ and spending more and more time alone.

The beauty of working through this process with Sydney is that his CoAct Connect team not only got to witness Sydney coming out of his shell and into his own person again, but they were privileged to be a part of this growth too.

This is more than just a nine-to-five job for the CoAct Connect team, so when we get to see Sydney go from being hesitant to being a willing participant in his group discussions, that’s a real win for us.

Sydney’s CoAct Connect mentor Annette says,

I noticed that his initial hesitancy had gone and was replaced with enthusiasm.

New skills and new beginnings

During the workshops he attended Sydney was able to use a computer – for the first time ever. Having used just his phone up to this point Sydney specifically asked for computer literacy training saying, “I realised through the workshops that I need a basic understanding of computers to get a job these days.”

Sydney was referred to CTA (Career Transition Assistance) by our team and, while he waited for that course to start, he continued to be an active member of every Work First and Capability workshop, willingly participating, sharing his knowledge with the group, and no longer afraid to ask questions.

Sydney is currently doing well on the CTA course, being enjoyed by his class as much as he is enjoying learning alongside them.

Sydney’s mentor Annette says, “he has told us all that he can’t wait to get back to Coact Connect to tell us about the course, talk new job opportunities, and share everything he’s learned with the others in his workshops.”

Well done Sydney, you’re an inspiration. Learn more about our employment services.