Congratulations to Lana on reaching her 6-month employment milestone!

We first shared Lana’s story in October last year, 12 weeks after she began her role as a Home Care Domestic Assistant at Residenz. Now that she’s been in the position for more than 6 months, we wanted to follow up and see how things are going.

Lana joined Global Skills Lake Haven in 2022 after several years focused on raising her family. With support from her Employment Consultant, Racheal, she identified and built on the transferable skills she had developed as a parent, including obtaining her First Aid and CPR certificates. Lana also participated in the Work for the Dole program at Vinnies, where she gained confidence and valuable work experience. Towards the end of her placement, Racheal helped Lana secure the position at Residenz, where her skills and experience made her a perfect fit for the job. She started work in July.

Having been in her role for over 6 months, we caught up with Lana to find out how she’s doing. She shared, “I’m approaching a year in my job and everything is going really well. I still love working with older people and the extra income has made a big difference. It has allowed my kids to do more activities. My eldest son recently went on a big Year 10 excursion, which I wouldn’t have been able to afford before. I’ve also gained more confidence. I’m speaking with clients all day and I am really enjoying it. My employer, Residenz, has been great. Now that I’ve built experience, and because of my qualifications, I’m working with clients who require more responsibility. They are also really flexible, which is perfect for me.”

When asked about the advice she would give to other parents looking to return to work, Lana said, “My advice would be to find something you enjoy. If you like what you’re doing, you’ll stick with it. Also, consider doing work experience. From my time at Vinnies, I realised I really enjoyed working with older customers, so I knew this job would be a good fit. It also boosted my confidence, making the transition to paid work much smoother.”

Rob Philipp Founder of Residenz commented, “With team members spanning from Sydney to the Sunshine Coast, Lana is one of our star performers. She is ultra reliable which provides our clients with continuity of care and reads the room well to connect with each and every client. Our clients and their care managers absolutely love Lana, as do we.”

Congratulations Lana, from the entire team at Global Skills and thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to chat with us.