Bryce and Liam
There are two young men who are added to our success stories here at Queensland Youth Services, Bryce Parry and Liam Milne, both 19 years old. These two knew each other at school but drifted apart over the following years until they met each other again in one of QYS’s Gr8 Expectations Programs. Good friends again, they went through the Community Learning program with the help of past youth workers Jess and Jo and due to doing the program at different stages in the beginning, they eventually came back and finished the Ready for Work Program together.
Murray Holm, Program Co-ordinator of the Gr8 Expectations Programs and Dalen Steenhuis, Youth Worker of the Get Set for Work Program, have been great mentors and advisors for these two young people. Teigan Mahony who now delivers the Ready for Work Program with Murray and Dalen agree Bryce and Liam have been two ever present faces around the offices for a while now.
When they first arrived at our door a little over a year ago, QYS got a call from Bryce’s mother and then employees Jess and Jo organised Bryce to do his Certificate III in Community Services in Disability and Aged Care at TAFE. Liam’s’ story is much the same; he came to us about the same time after his mother rang and organised for him to come in. So after an appointment with us, it was organised for Liam to do a Certificate II in Automotive at TAFE which led him to do Work Experience at McGrath Automotive for a few months then both lads handed their resumes around to different organisations but sadly, no one was hiring at the time. Then Murray came on board and organised Bryce and Liam to do the Get Set and Ready for Work Programs to which they both agreed they acquired a lot of knowledge about getting job ready and they found them both enjoyable which added a fun atmosphere to the learning. The Ready for Work program is run over 3 weeks and designed to get youth into the workforce with a strategic teaching style and motivational self-esteem building activities throughout. The participants also do their Resumes up to be professional and employment ready.
Recently, Dalen organised for both of the boys to have an interview out at James Cook University as cleaners. Liam and Bryce came to QYS all dressed up for the occasion and Dalen drove them out to JCU for the appointment. A few days later we had heard that both boys got the positions at the University. They came back in as soon as they heard to see Murray and Dalen, to thank them and celebrate with icy cold cans of Coke and Fanta. All us here at QYS were very thrilled for Bryce and Liam and congratulations were handed around whole heartedly. Both boys are very happy in their new positions and now look forward to their first paycheck.
(1/12/2016)
Paula Cox
