Jay's journey to kick starting their career

Like many of our young people, Jay heard about the Ladder Step Up Latrobe Valley program through a previous program participant. Jay was 18, disengaged from the community, living by themselves and was unsure of what was next for them. During the referral process into the program, Jay had identified a goal of commencing a career in the art industry because of their passion for art, however they did not have a resume and had no employment history.

Shortly after contacting the program, Jay commenced in Program 16. Jay is naturally quiet and has a reserved personality but their confidence grew throughout the program and they really applied themselves during all the employment and education training sessions.

Upon graduating, Jay applied for 21 part time jobs with their resume and cover letter created during the program. Through Jay's determination, persistence and willingness to learn, they landed their first job in hospitality within a few weeks.

More recently, when catching up with the Ladder Team, Jay shared even more exciting news. Jay was accepted into a Diploma of Graphic Design, which was their initial goal when they first started their journey with Ladder.

Congratulations Jay. We wish you all the best for your career in art and know you will keep kicking goals into the future!