Kayla Reidy is one of the many success stories coming out of the Youth Employment Training Initiative (YETI).
Kayla is currently employed as a full-time administrative trainee in the Small Business Victoria team, part of the Department of Economic Development, Jobs Transport and Resources (DEDJTR) – State Government of Victoria.
Having successfully completed her Certificate III in Business, Kayla is now studying a Certificate IV in Business, her second traineeship. In her time at DEDJTR, Kayla has moved through different teams in her department that have each brought challenges and new knowledge to learn. Kayla comments “I need to maintain a flexible and responsive approach when managing my workload, and have become accustomed to completing tasks on my own, but also knowing when to ask for assistance. I maintain a high level of communication to ensure my colleagues are aware of my workload and priorities and feel confident I am able to overcome any challenges that arise.”
Kayla has also been an effective ambassador for her peers and community. Kayla was an Industry Guest Speaker for the Skilling Australia Foundation, which supports disadvantaged and unemployed young women aged 16-24 into employment. Kayla’s talk about her journey in life and career was very relative and inspiring to the group. Many of the participants listening to Kayla are now in full-time employment with YETI and agreed her talk was a highlight.
Participating in the Youth Employment Scheme (YES), an initiative of the Victorian State Government has provided her with paid employment, two nationally recognised qualifications and a platform to build a secure, long term career. “The YES program has given over 2,000 individuals a career start since 2000, with many securing on-going employment upon completion of their traineeship. Some are now managing teams and employing their own trainee. I found on-the-job training very beneficial to my development and the off-the-job training component worked well as I was able to learn many new systems and undertake specific training in Oracle and Writing Briefs.”
For her dedication, commitment and approach, Kayla has been shortlisted for the Victorian Trainee of The Year award at the 2016 Victorian Training Awards, being held on Friday August 26.
Kayla comments: “I hope with my participation in the community and promotion of my success in pursuing a traineeship, it will show other young people the possibilities a traineeship can provide to not just them personally, but it can lead to a very successful and lasting career”.
