By Ethan Benedicto
Paving the way for the youth in the workforce has always been a crucial initiative of growing cities, and much remains the same for the City of Casey as the Job Readiness Bootcamp is set to take place in just a few weeks.
Located at Chisholm in Berwick, the boot camp will be held on Friday 28 February and begin at 10am in the morning, running until 1:15pm with a key initiative to foster growth in resume and cover letter writing, networking, career planning, and sessions about job market trends.
Andrew Simmons, ceo of South East Local Learning and Employment Network said that providing a platform for those aged between 18-25 who have left school, to grow their soft skills and establish themselves as key workforce candidates is important.
“There are a range of aspects around it, and one of them is knowing what jobs are actually out there and how to go about finding them,” he said.
“We hear a lot about unemployment rates, and as a region, the jobs are rich, especially if you know their whereabouts.
“The other element will be preparing everyone to present themselves in a really good light when they do land those interviews because that in itself is an art form, and some of these kids may have never done that before.”
Andrew, who will be the lead presenter on the day will take time to expand on the three key factors that were mentioned, but will also have employers who are looking for talent engaging with the boot camp’s participants.
According to Andrew, the day’s last session will be all about sitting down with employers and engaging in a “networking activity”.
“It’s about talking to those employers who are in those industries that you’re really keen to get into,” he said.
“To find out the day-to-day stuff, and break down some of those myths about, for example, always working at 4am for the bakery, even though there are other roles where you can start later.
“Look, these are things that young people, are hopefully, not hearing for the first time, but if they are hearing the same story from sources and they end up believing it.”
He added that giving transparency on what certain fields offer and their real balance of labour is key, especially for those who are new to the workforce.
Andrew, who has been with SELLEN for roughly 15 years is more than aware of what the challenges are surrounding work, much less changing careers, and especially starting one.
However, “it’s that first job that’s the one that opens the doors and builds your resume, and then opportunities will come”.
Other organisations will also be present during the event, such as the City of Casey, the South East Melbourne Manufacturers Alliance, the City of Greater Dandenong, Cardinia Shire and more.
As important as work ethic and dedication are, there is an integral role that soft skills play when it comes to being successful and is something that Andrew, SELLEN and other parties during the event endeavour to achieve.
