Job Start Travel Program
Each train you catch can make a difference to someone’s life
For anyone who has been out of the workforce for 12 months or more, getting back to work can be daunting. One of the most overlooked challenges for someone who has been unemployed for a long time is travelling to and from a new workplace. Getting up early, travelling long distances, navigating confusing inner-city stations, rush-hour crowds, multiple transport transfers and unfamiliar areas can leave people feeling overwhelmed.
From November-December 2011, Mission Australia and Travellers Aid Australia are partnering together to trial a new pilot Job Start Travel Program. This program aims to:
- Help people overcome travel barriers by matching them with a trained volunteer from their community
- This volunteer will accompany a new job-starter in on the train into the Melbourne CBD for the first 5 -10 days.
- During the first week, the volunteer will also meet the job-starter for the return trip home if the working hours of both parties permit.
For job-starters, knowing that there will be a friendly face to greet them at the train station, chat to on the way in to the city and guide them in the right direction to the office can make all the difference between between giving long-term employment a go and giving up
This initiative is currently a pilot program. If you live in Maroondah or the Yarra Ranges and travel regularly to Melbourne by train, please consider volunteering for this program.
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