For as long as she could remember Shiann dreamed of being a nurse. She chose her school subjects with a nursing career in mind and worked toward that goal. But after moving from Victoria to Queensland at age 14, her education was unexpectedly disrupted, and when she graduated High School, she didn’t have the grades she needed to go onto study Nursing at University.
Shiann was devastated. Believing that her opportunity to do nursing was gone, and having no idea about what else she might possibly do, she felt directionless and without hope. At a young age she believed her future was bleak.
A chance meeting with a Skills Generation Director put Shiann on a new career pathway. She was excited to learn about the Certificate III in Individual Support, a qualification that she could complete to gain skills for work in the care sector, and that could also be used for university entry, to get her back on a pathway toward a nursing degree.
With her passion reignited Shiann was excited to get her studies underway. She thrived in the environment where she had in-person trainers who sat down with her in a classroom and assisted her through each stage of her course, and she soon decided that working in the area of disability was the direction she would love to take. “The courses were detailed, and the trainers had extensive experience in the sector which meant their teaching was reinforced with real world examples of what is required for someone to work as a Disability Support Worker. My trainers had prepared me for everything, and their anecdotes were so motivational and heartwarming, I almost didn’t believe them,” Shiann said.
The flexible delivery of the Skills Generation course allowed Shiann to fast-track her qualification and with her heightened motivation, and the support of her trainer, she was able to complete the 12-month course in 3 months.
With her original reason for undertaking vocational training being solely as a pathway to university, Shiann’s plans shifted after finishing her course. She realised that with the skills and qualification she had gained she was already highly employable, and the work experience she had undertaken in disability was personally and professionally rewarding, so she decided to put her qualification to use and work as a Disability Support Worker before applying for university.
Now working for ‘Inspired By You’ on the Sunshine Coast, Shiann’s career goals have shifted again, “I can’t see myself ever leaving the industry, I love it so much,” she said. “I enjoy the fact that every day will be different and everything I do makes a positive impact, great or small. The smile of a client after helping them make the progress to dressing themselves and being more independent, really makes a huge impact on me,” says Shiann.
Looking ahead, Shiann is now thinking about undertaking a business development Certificate course to enable her to contribute more broadly to the operations of ‘Inspired By You’ and help the company grow and assist more people. She also aspires to owning her own disability support service one day so she can continue to improve the well-being and quality of life of those with disability in our community. She might even think about a nursing degree again in the future to add to the skills she can bring to disability work.
Skills Generation is proud of Shiann, we are proud to have played a role in her story and proud of her achievements. Wherever her path takes her we look forward to her continued bright future.
The journey to a successful career might not be what you think. This is Shiann’s story…..What’s yours?
