At 18 years of age and looking for work, Sean Wood didn’t realise the beginning of his working career would kick start from an internship. Now four months in and he hasn’t looked back.

“I was stoked I got a job so fast.” said Sean Wood.

In today’s current drought conditions, local businesses need to be savvy when hiring staff and that’s where government initiatives, such as the Youth Jobs PaTH program, provide some much-needed relief.

“The PaTH program allows employers to trial a young person in their workplace for up to 12 weeks, providing training and support, and allowing the employee to prove they want the job.  In addition there are additional financial bonuses for both parties” said Marketing and Relationship Manager for BEST Employment, Kate Ottewell.

Sean has taken the opportunity in his stride.

“I really value experience, especially during the internship. I didn’t have any hospitality experience so if I was getting paid from the start I would likely have gotten less shifts and less hours which means less training. Because I had the eight weeks to train, I feel like I have become better at my job than I would have been without the internship.” said Sean.

“It did make getting the job feel a lot more rewarding, knowing I had proven myself.”

Dayna Hourn, Food and Beverage Manager at the Great Central Hotel Glen Innes encourages other business to take advantage of the program.

“It’s good to see if a staff member will be reliable. People often start out by being keen, but after four weeks their true colours start to show. The internship gave us enough time to see if they will work out. And Sean is doing really well. He is always getting better and striving to be better.” said Dayna.

If you are interested in learning what Government initiatives are available to you when hiring staff, visit your local BEST Employment team.

“I am really grateful for the opportunity provided to me by BEST.” said Sean.