A year ago Paige Mozjerin had no experience, no job and no idea about what to do about turning her life around.
Now she’s three weeks into her first job – behind the reception desk at Melton CFA fire station.
The Melton 18-year-old is one of the latest youth recruits to complete the Matchworks XLR8 youth employment program, which she says has given her confidence.
“I hated school. I couldn’t wait to be done with it,” she said.
“I finished secondary school halfway through year 11 and started working in retail and fast food places before I went through the Matchworks program.”
The four-week XLR8 program, aimed at job seekers aged 15 to 21, helps participants engage with their local communities while addressing barriers to employment.
“At first I thought it would be pretty lame, but it turned out to be really good,” Paige said.
“I had no idea how to look for a job, go to an interview or write a resume.
“We had people come in and talk to us about different things like what services were available in Melton. They taught us how to prepare for a job interview and how to go through interviews. We also did a lot of writing and rewriting our resumes.
“I never knew what to do and what to say, but I felt really confident when we had some of the guest speakers come in and explain that attitude is always a good thing and you’re not useless.
“Three weeks ago I had nothing.”
Miss Mozjerin said young job seekers aiming to take that next step into finding work should consider the XLR8 course.
“When you’re in it, you start feeling a lot better about yourself and a lot better about what you can do,” she said.
“I didn’t think I’d be able to get any job out of this and now I’ve got … opportunities.”
Matchworks: 5229 8733.
