For Dwayne Wilson, taking his four children to different locations around Adelaide and being able to say, “See that? Dad did that!”, have been some of the proudest moments of his working life.
After struggling to re-enter the work force and find ongoing employment, and with the needs of his young family driving him, Dwayne made the decision to register with VTEC – a program designed to bridge the employment gap for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
As Dwayne’s VTEC Mentor, Belinda Black reminds us, the transition from unemployment into the working world is not always smooth sailing and there are unexpected costs involved, which some jobseekers just can’t fit into their already strained budgets.
Maxima was able to support Dwayne, providing him with the means to register his car so he could get to and from work, as well as assisting him with all the required documents, ensuring he felt ready to start work.
With the help of Maxima’s Temporary and Permanent Recruitment Division, Belinda organised a casual contract for Dwayne to work as a Surveyors Assistant for FYFE, and in his own words, he is “loving it.”
“I always used to walk past surveyors and wonder what they were doing, and now here I am, working with them,” Dwayne says.
Lucy McEwen, FYFE’s General Manager of Major Survey Projects, has been a big support to Dwayne and very encouraging of his success. “Dwayne is enthusiastic and loves the work he is doing. He is learning a lot about Surveying in the field.”
But best of all is the renewed sense of self and the pride that comes with a meaningful job. As Dwayne says: “A lot of the time I’m asked to help out other surveyors as they’re happy with my work, it’s a great feeling. I’ve made my family proud, especially my Grandma – she’s really proud.”
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