After taking time off to care for her newborn daughter in 2016, Samantha, a proud Torres Strait Islander and Aboriginal woman, found it hard to get back into employment.

Sammi commenced with CVGT in July 2025 after relocating to Bendigo from Darwin. Sammi had been unemployed for 8 years due to an incident she had suffered during her employment which resulted in her being unable to work.

Although I wanted to return to work for many years, my lack of self-esteem and overwhelming self-doubt on top of other mental health issues really prevented me from trying. It was a vicious cycle that held me back until I moved to Bendigo and transferred to CVGT Employment.
Samantha, CVGT Employment Participant

When she first met her employment consultant Jasmine, she was suffering extreme anxiety and nervousness. She could barely communicate through tears. Despite being highly employable and experienced, she had no sense of self-worth, self-confidence or any belief in her value. Over the next 6 months Jasmine put several interventions in place. She received regular and consistent counselling services with both The Anna Centre and Collaborative Connections which were crucial to her moving through her trauma.

Sammi was then introduced to Employment Skills Mentor Cass by Business Development Consultant Ian as she was identified as a Fast Track participant and her support was to be intensified to help her with preparing for job interviews and build her self-confidence, alongside participation in in-house workshops including Teamwork and Motivation, Interview Techniques, and Resume Preparation. Sammi had indicated that her dream job would be to work with children in the education sector, as she wanted to use her lived experience to help ‘at risk’ young indigenous people. Sammi acknowledged that this was a ‘pie in the sky’ dream and just wanted to focus on reentering the workforce in any capacity, just to get used to working again.

Sammi was also encouraged to engage with BDAC which she did, and commenced a pre-employment program alongside the workshops, and one on one sessions she was having with Cass. Cass, along with Bendigo District Aboriginal Corporation (BDAC) worked together to assist Sammi to go through the application process, and prepare her for the interview, and to help her transition into work. She is now employed by Department of Education (Eaglehawk Primary School) in the AKT NOW (Aspiring Koorie Teachers NOW) program which is an earn and learn initiative, where she also receives training toward a Certificate IV in Education Support. In her work, she helps teachers prepare classrooms and lessons, and she supports students directly as they work toward their individual learning goals.

To help Samantha get started in her new role, CVGT Employment Consultant Jasmine organised support to purchase interview and work clothes and a Working with Children’s Check. Since commencing employment, Sammi has regular check ins with Jasmine who supports her with whatever is required.

For those who are considering connecting with CVGT Employment, Samantha offered the following advice:

Take the time to build relationships with your Employment Consultant, they are there to help and WANT to help. Make the absolute most of the support, resources and guidance that CVGT offer, as not all Job providers have the same integrity for their clients. CVGT made me feel like me and my situation mattered and they take all things into account when working with their clients. They truly have your best interests at heart and can help with so many things outside of typical ‘job searches’.
Samantha, CVGT Employment Participant

Samantha’s Employment mentor Cass is proud of Samantha and enjoyed collaborating with BDAC to open opportunities for her.

We were very proud to be able to provide support to Sammi, and to work with and alongside BDAC to ensure Sammi received a full, well-rounded service. 
Cass, CVGT Employment Skills Mentor