Q&A with Jayne: CVGT Australia trainee at the City of Greater Bendigo

CVGT Australia trainee Jayne started her traineeship with the City of Greater Bendigo in March 2021 as part of the Champions for Change project within the Community Partnerships Unit.

After finishing high school, Jayne knew she wanted to do something within her local community, but was unsure where or how to start.

CVGT Australia helped Jayne develop a plan to get her the right support, training and opportunities to achieve her goals. This year, Jayne has been nominated for Trainee of the Year.

Here she shares her story – what she enjoys about her work and her experience through the traineeship.

When you were leaving high school, did you know what you wanted to do?

I knew I wanted to help people and do something that was community-based. I just didn’t know where to start. I didn’t know how to find my feet and where the best place was to go to get the help that I needed.

Tell us about your experience connecting with CVGT Australia.

I spoke to a couple of agencies regarding getting help for finding work and I hadn’t had much luck. When CVGT was suggested to me, they were really helpful and straight up said that they’ll be able to find me something.
Everyone I spoke with was really friendly and very helpful. They were always checking in to see how I was going, always updating me with new job opportunities that looked like they’d be perfect for me and just genuinely checking in with me to see if I was doing okay.

How did the support from CVGT Australia differ from your previous experiences?

I felt more supported, I felt as though they actually cared about me and my job journey. They put more time and effort into finding me something, because previously I had had jobs that were offered to me that weren’t suitable, whereas everything CVGT were offering me was something that was more suitable.
They were also more willing to help me find a job, they were telling me – we’ll put your resume forward, we’ll talk to the people for you, then we’ll go in and talk to them together. They just really helped put that foot forward for me.

Tell us about how you secured your traineeship with the City of Greater Bendigo.

I was given a call about a position, I wasn’t told where it was to start with, I was just told it was a business traineeship, it was in administration and that it was in Bendigo. I went and did my interview and the lady I spoke with was really lovely. When I got the call to say we want you to come in and start with us, I just couldn’t believe it. It was the best feeling! I’d wanted something full-time for so long and it felt like it had jumped into my lap and was exactly what I needed.

What does your role involve?

I’m in the Community Partnerships unit. I help with day-to-day tasks of booking meetings, booking rooms and taking minutes. I’ve also started in the Strong Communities team doing grants, so I do the assessments and send those to be assessed by management. I give the great feedback to people that they’ve been given grant approval! Then I approve them myself, to be paid. Some of the projects that are coming through are just amazing.

What are you studying as you complete your traineeship?

I’m studying Certificate III in Business Administration. My class is every three weeks and I’m currently halfway through my unit altogether. It’s been really good, it’s very much about customer engagement, how to produce business documents, how to take minutes and that sort of thing.

Everyone is really supportive, especially in my team. If I need help, they’re there.

How do you feel about where you are now and what you have achieved so far?

I’m very grateful for this opportunity, it’s really helped me realise what I can do, and it’s also made me realise that I knew more than what I thought I did. It’s something I’ve wanted for a very long time and it was the best step in the door, the best spot to work, I couldn’t have asked for a better area to work in.

Do you have any advice to those finishing up at school?

I think it’s definitely worth reaching out. You just don’t know how much is out there until you get out and get somebody who can show you what is out there. It’s just amazing how much more you can do, than what you thought you could do.
It’s definitely worth having someone that is looking out for you, and looking at what talents you have and how they can help you. Getting that external support is really helpful.