2 minute read
Flourish Magazine - Winter 2024
Helping parents get back to work or study
When you’re the parent of young children, getting five minutes to make yourself a coffee can be a challenge, let alone finding the time to prepare to get back to work or study.
That’s where UnitingSA’s ParentsNext Participation Officer, John Gray, is able to help.
Through ParentsNext, John helps parents with children aged under six years to plan and prepare for future study or employment.
“It can be tough if you’ve got young children, if you’re a single parent or been out of study or the workforce for a while, to find your way back,” John says.
“It’s easy to lose your confidence, or your skills, or just to know where to start.”
Through the program, John can do any of the following to help:
Set study and work goals
Meet with participants regularly one-on-one
Assist to access services in the local community
Help access financial support, including towards the costs of starting work or study.
“It’s rewarding being able to help people find their pathway, identify their strengths, where they can go or what they’d like to do.
“They don’t have to look for work right now. But it’s important to think about study and work goals for when their children are school age.”
John himself had a significant career change when he went back to TAFE to re-train after 30 years as a tradesperson.
He says more people now realise they don’t have to stay in the one career or one job for life, and that the younger Australians of today are now more job mobile than ever.
“Most of the people I see are in their 20s and 30s, and the majority are women.
“I enjoy helping people who want to work or get more skills – it gives me a buzz. This program helps parents with the skills and assistance they need to get into the workforce, leading to better outcomes for their families.”
PARENTSNEXT UPDATE
While the Federal Government has recently announced changes to the ParentsNext program, UnitingSA wants to assure parents who are currently participating in ParentsNext that they will still receive help to plan and prepare for employment, including accessing financial assistance to undertake education or training.
Work is currently underway to contact all affected participants, and the Government encourages parents to continue to access these supports. To find out more about ParentsNext call (08) 8440 2270.
