Naomi’s journey from the Philippines to Australia at the age of 9 is truly inspiring, especially for women from diverse communities. Despite the challenges of adjusting to a new life and country, Naomi faced them head-on.
In 2023, living in Echuca with her family, completing Year 11 and 12 at TAFE, and working part-time at McDonald’s, Naomi felt uncertain about her career path. However, her encounter with WomenCAN Australia changed everything. Naomi explained “Part of our work experience was looking for jobs online and applying for work experience. And this is when I saw WomenCAN Australia was doing traineeships.”
Naomi decided to explore this opportunity with WomenCAN Australia, and talked with the Peer Support team. She explained her interaction as, “Beautiful. They were very hands-on and helped out a lot. They were telling me exactly what I needed for the job, like getting my Working with Children Check, my NDIS Check and my Police Check.”
After completing her initial checks and pre-employment training, Naomi was introduced to Bupa Aged Care in Echuca where she applied for a position and was offered a job!
Bupa Aged Care provided essential support during Naomi’s early days on the job, “They were really good with helping out, because I had a lot of questions when I started. I like to know what I’m doing type thing, and they provided a lot of answers and education that I need to like start me off”, explained Naomi.
Naomi also talked about the Peer-Led Support provided by WomenCAN Australia, “Yeah, I did the peer support groups. Sometimes I couldn’t make it. But when I was struggling with my bookwork and when I had free time, I’d jump on and see what’s going on. Yeah, and they’re really good, really helpful. It was just nice to have that few minutes of talking with people that are so like-minded. We’re doing this job for the same reasons and, yeah, stuff like that.”
Naomi completed her traineeship in April 2024, becoming a qualified Personal Care Attendant and explains, “I do enjoy my job. taking care of my residents, coming in and seeing the smiles and their faces when I walk in.”
Naomi wholeheartedly recommends the WomenCAN Australia traineeship program, emphasising the invaluable support we provided throughout her journey.
Congratulations Naomi, we are so proud of your achievements and wish you well in your career in Aged Care.
