Christopher has truly come out of his shell
It takes resilience to search for a job, even more to walk in and out of many local businesses to canvass for a job.
Chris worked hard to build this courage, and it has paid off!
He started his journey with APM in Mackay after being referred to help him find a job through the Disability Employment Services program. Mackay is a coastal city, four and a half hours south of Townsville on the stunning Queensland coast.
When Chris initially presented to his APM Employment Consultant Beth, he was quite shy and withdrawn, she recalls.
Chris lives with Asperger's and anxiety, and was determined to build his confidence and get a job he enjoyed.
With the support of Beth, he completed a range of trainings to developing his interview skills, organising an interview clothing and how to best market himself to potential employers. Furthermore, he successfully completed a Certificate III in Customer Service through APM.
Through this support Chris gained enough confidence to approach employers himself.
"I felt pretty nervous when I first walked in, but it got easier" Chris recalls. "I've become much better at chatting to people."
After visiting several pizza shops Chris was able to gain employment with Domino's as a delivery driver.
Since then, Beth checked in every week with Chris as part of the Post-Placement Support which all candidates receive.
After 13 weeks, Chris has settled in well and his confidence continues to grow - even engaging in friendly banter with the APM Mackay team when he comes to the office.
"Work has helped me feel really good about myself. It's great coming to work with friendly people and I have fun on my shifts" Chris said.
This new-found confidence helped Chris embrace a new mode of transport for delivery - the scooter! After some initial nerves, he's found he loves it and the scooter is now his favourite delivery vehicle.
"I got a very excited text from Chris the next day saying how excited he was to do his deliveries on the scooter," Beth said.
Chris is now working to save for his own scooter which he hopes buy in 2021, with a dream of appearing on the front page of a newspaper with it to show off how happy working with Domino's Pizza and APM has made him.
Every year APM Employment Services helps thousands of job seekers like Chris into life-changing jobs
If you’re looking to find meaningful employment to improve your finances, health and wellbeing, register with APM to see if you’re eligible for one of our programs or call 1800 276 276 today.
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If you’re an employer looking to hire full or part-time staff, speak to your local APM team about matching a reliable job seeker to your role. Your business could be eligible for wage subsidies and access to funds for training, tools and other workplace modifications.