A group of Townsville job seekers have started their journeys to creating new careers and futures through the North Queensland Toyota Cowboys’ Dream, Believe, Achieve Hospitality training and employment program.
Age and background have proven to be no barrier for the participants who have overcome many obstacles to take part in the final intense 10-week program for 2024.
After losing her mother, twenty-year-old Kay-cee Anderson said the program was a chance to make her mum and younger family members proud.
“I need a job, but I also need to challenge myself ant to get out of my comfort zone and Dream, Believe, Achieve is going to give me more opportunities in life,” she said.
“I’ve had a couple of jobs before, but I had to stop working for a couple of years because my mum got really sick and I needed to look after her. Sadly, she has passed but now I feel like it’s time that I get back into it and make her and my nephews and nieces proud.
“I’m hoping that out of this I can really show people that it doesn’t matter where you come from or how you were brought up, as long as you know what you want to do and decide to do it, you can go anywhere in life.”
Dream, Believe, Achieve participants earn a nationally recognised Certificate III in Hospitality, as well as Responsible Service of Alcohol (RSA) and Responsible Gambling Services (RSG) qualifications via in-class training modules, one-on-one mentoring and on-the-job work experience with the program’s local industry partners.
Gael Godou was a chef in a leading Airlie Beach restaurant when COVID struck and he lost his job and many family members leaving him battling lifestyle and mental health challenges.
He said Dream, Believe, Achieve was helping him to regain his confidence and he wanted to use his experience to also help fellow participants with their learning journeys.
“I turned 50 in August, and I’ve had some mental health issues the last couple of years and now I’ve come out of that dark hole and my values are more around honesty, integrity and being the person that I want to be,” he said.
“I was one of those kids coming home from night clubs at 5 o’clock in the morning and I did that for years, living that wrong way of life but I’ve turned my life around now and I just want to be successful and to help others is a gift.
“I’m hopeful that I can complete this course and then I can do what I love to do in hospitality while travelling and seeing the world, and maybe even find love.”
Program mentor Albey Reuben said the group was showing great potential from week one, after completing job-ready elements including resumes and mock job interviews.
“I’m very impressed with the enthusiasm and commitment our participants have brought to the course so far,” he said.
“It’s not easy going from being unemployed to having to turn up on time and in the right mindset every day, so I’m excited to see them progress through graduation onto hopefully gaining ongoing employment.”
The Cowboys Dream, Believe, Achieve program is funded by the Queensland Government’s Department of Employment, Small Business and Training as part of the Skilling Queenslanders for Work initiative, and delivered in partnership with hospitality training partner Allara Learning.
