STEPS Skills for Education and Employment (SEE) Program participant Lorna Brian has quickly progressed through her coursework and already secured paid employment.
Since starting the SEE Program in Cairns in early March to work on her English pronunciation and vocabulary, Ms Brian has already completed more than 400 hours of training.
Ms Brian’s first language is Motu, an indigenous language from Papua New Guinea, and she was referred to the SEE Program by her Workforce Australia Provider.
Her trainer, Angela Murphy, says that she is incredibly proud of Ms Brian and how far she has already come in her education journey.
“From day one, Lorna has been an incredibly passionate and dedicated participant,” Ms Murphy said.
“She’s really put her all into this program and you can see that in how quickly she’s progressed with her studying. I couldn’t be prouder of her and she’s an absolute joy to work with.”
Ms Brian recently attended a job interview, which she prepared for alongside Ms Murphy. The two practised job interview questions to keep the relevant information fresh in Ms Brian’s mind and make sure she was comfortable.
She was successful, officially being hired as a Housekeeper at a popular hotel chain’s Cairns location.
“That interview was on a Wednesday. Two days later, while everyone was in our cooking class on Friday, Lorna got the call to say she got the job,” Ms Murphy said.
“We knew she would get it! Everyone was so excited for her. We told her that we’d miss her and she’s welcome back any time.”
Ms Brian wants to encourage others in the Cairns community who are looking for work to join the SEE Program. “You’ll learn so many useful things,” she said.
“If you’re like me, and English isn’t your first language, then you can get the skills you need to find a job you enjoy and make some incredible new friends!”
