Great attitude and hard work pays off Brendan was only part way through his second year at Bankstown NOVA Transition when he was offered a job. His Job Coach, Paul, describes Brendan as someone who works hard and is always willing to try new challenges and learn new skills.Last year, Brendan completed  Barringtons courses in Responsible Service of Alcohol (RSA) and Responsible Conduct of Gambling (RCG). This enabled him to do a work placement at Bankstown Sports Club. After four…

We focus on ability What makes NOVA Employment the best disability employment service in the country? We focus on the ability of people with disability. This is the best way to learn about job seekers' interests and skills and match these to appropriate, award-wage work. You may not know that NOVA is the main sponsor for the Focus On Ability Film (FOA) Festival – an international short-film competition with the theme: focus on the ability of people with disability. If…

Meet Andrew - Employment Consultant NOVA Employment Consultants (ECs) are important in helping NOVA Transition trainees to get our first job. They start getting to know us at the end of our first year at NOVA so they can better understand our skills and abilities and what jobs we’re interested in. We thought it might be fun to get to know them better too! So we interviewed EC Andrew Abrahams from NOVA’s Campbelltown office.Trainees: What is the role of…

Workplace diversity is good for productivity Diversity in the workplace is good for all of us, because we learn about other values, foods, cultures and the many different ways people choose to live their lives.Diversity is also good for workplaces. NOVA’s CEO, Martin Wren, explains why here.Did you read it? It’s a long list!For example, did you know that people who work in diverse (also known as ‘inclusive’) workplaces take less sick leave? That’s good for…

Childcare - a dream job for three young trainees For three NOVA Transition graduates, their dreams of working in childcare have come true.In choosing their preferred work area, Tayla, Danielle and Michaela all knew they wanted to work with people, and were keen on childcare. But identifying their career goal was only the first step. It took determination, persistence and hard work for each of the girls to find employment – and support from NOVA every step of the way.For Michaela, that support…

Loving Learning at Livvi's NOVA Transition has a big focus on high-quality work experience that provides our trainees with a taste of the working world and the skills needed to thrive in it.Livvi's Cafe in Elara Estate is one of the fantastic businesses Rouse Hill Nova Transition has partnered with. Owners Brendon and Debbie have been teaching us some valuable skills about food hygiene, customer service and hospitality.The cafe is part of the Touched by Olivia Foundation and a percentage of…

The best day of my life More than one graduate of NOVA Transition nominated last Wednesday - graduation day - as the best day of their life! And it’s not hard to see why.It was a day of pure celebration for the graduates of 2017 attending a three-course lunch with live entertainment, awards and dancing at the Catholic Club in Campbelltown.We celebrated more than 80 young people with disability graduating from NOVA’s two-year transition-to-work program and…

Lights, Camera, Action Industry visit to ABC Studios and Media ProductionAt NOVA Transition, we research industries and learn about different job types experientially – by seeing and feeling what it’s like. We learn through exploring in fun, engaging way. So when Liverpool Transition trainees were presented with an opportunity to tour ABC Studios and Media Production they jumped at the opportunity.The day was planned from beginning to end (all part of our learning here in Liverpool). We read the tour rules, found out…

Having a ball in Windsor Friday the 13th might be unlucky for some but certainly not for the trainees of Windsor, Richmond, Blacktown, Rouse Hill, Parramatta and Hornsby who were treated to a professional coaching clinic at Windsor tennis courts.It was the most beautiful spring day and we all made sure we had sunscreen, hats and water bottles. We knew we were in for a day of fun when our coaches, Tony and Arvind arrived with a boot packed with racquets, balls, nets,…

Getting technical at the Microsoft store Learning about technology is an important component of NOVA Transition training. But at Richmond and Windsor NOVA Transition, we learned about much more than technology on a recent industry visit to the Microsoft Flagship Store.Before we even began to look at Microsoft products, we practised our travel training to get into the city, and then had to negotiate the hustle and bustle of Pitt Street Mall.When we arrived at the…

Getting the heads up on mental health Award-winning singer-songwriter Lucy Neville, 21, has experienced the stigma and discrimination associated with having a mental illness.But the Beyond Blue volunteer guest speaker had some positive messages about dealing with anxiety when she visited Windsor NOVA Transition recently.Anxiety had been part of Lucy’s life from the age of 13. She would assume the worst of every situation. She would avoid social situations, and was often crippled with feelings of paranoia and panic…

Why I come to NOVA Transition If you're going to spend three days per week for two years at NOVA Transition, you want it to be worthwhile, right? It certainly has been for the many former trainees who are now employed – read some of their stories here. For Danika, a trainee at Rockdale NOVA Transition, there are plenty of reasons to show up each day: 'I come to NOVA Transition because there are people who help and support me on my journey…

Another happy parent Imagine being the parent of three taxpayers. Kathy Sammut never imagined this would be her life. She recalls that when her children, Anthony, Michelle and Matthew, finished school, she and her husband would say, ‘They’re going to be home all the time, and they’re not going to see the world out there’. But all three have found work through NOVA Transition Liverpool. ‘There was a lot of encouragement from the job coaches at Liverpool,…

Let's Get Working Let’s be honest: there’s a lot to getting a job. Before you can walk in that door as an employee, you’ll need to:figure out what sort of job will suit youget some training (unless you are already able to do the job)apply for positions – this might be by:responding to an advertisementtalking with people about what work they have availablewrite resumes and cover lettersconvince an interviewer that you’re the person for the…