Early last year Olivia Caves was unemployed.
Twelve months on and she is preparing to attend university following a little help from Carinity Fassifern Community Centre in Boonah.
"Before COVID, I was working as a barista at a local café. I lost work and was unemployed for around three months," Olivia recalls.
"I found that being out of a routine and not having anything to keep me busy such as work or study really weighed on my mental health. I struggled a lot to keep myself motivated and productive.
"All the free time gave me a lot of time to reflect on myself and truly think about what I wanted to do with my career."
Olivia decided to undertake a certificate course at Carinity Fassifern Community Centre to "expand my skills and experience" and "provide me with a good foothold on a career path".
She completed the Certificate III in Individual Support which provides participants with the skills and knowledge required to be a support worker to people in aged care or disability care.
"I am always looking to learn new things and gain new work experiences and the course was the perfect opportunity for this," Olivia says.
"As students, we completed 12 units of theory work and 100 hours of practical work to achieve the Certificate."
Now Olivia is set to study for an Associate Degree of Criminology at university after being awarded a Destination Australia – Domestic Students scholarship.
"This scholarship aims to support students financially from rural locations so that they may be able to move closer to the University of Southern Queensland's Toowoomba campus and study their chosen field on campus," Olivia explains.
Olivia "thoroughly encourages" young people in the Scenic Rim area to undertake skills courses at Carinity Fassifern Community Centre.
"I believe it is a great way to expand one's skillset, gain further work experience, increase motivation and be productive," Olivia says.
"Unfortunately, I think only a small amount of the youth are aware of the opportunities available.
"The courses offered at Fassifern are generally either free or very inexpensive which is a massive benefit to students who wish to learn and better themselves, without the burden of financial debt."
Carinity Fassifern Community Centre is currently running job skills programs for teenagers, young adults, and other community members.
Skilling Queenslanders for Work programs help people such as unemployed or underemployed youth, people living with disability, and mature-age jobseekers to gain nationally recognised skills and qualifications.
Courses are fully subsidised by the Queensland Government with enrolled participants receiving individual support plus financial assistance by way of fuel vouchers, emergency food, vouchers, and work clothing.
The Get Set for Work 'Dreams Achieved' program sees participants aged 15 to 19 years complete a Certificate II in Work Skills and Vocational Pathways, to open up more career opportunities.
