big day out.

On the last Sunday morning of each month I head to Moore Street in the city on behalf of LinkedUp™ to distribute the latest edition of iLocal™. However on Sunday March 1st, I decided to offer a little something extra — a full day of planned activities to attend, at no cost, including tickets to skill-building workshops designed to help those who would attend become job-ready.

The “Big Day Out” was scheduled for Tuesday March 3rd, and included a free breakfast at Tranby Engagement Hub, tickets to a Resume Skill-Building Workshop, followed by a Job Interview Skills Workshop (both held every Tuesday at the Perth Jobs and Skills Centre), a free dinner at Grill’d (held on the first Tuesday night of every month), and to cap it off, moon-gazing under the stars at Kings Park — to watch the Total Lunar Eclipse as it crossed the Perth city skyline.

As with the printing of iLocal™, this offering was small and intentional. With ten “Big Day Out” packs to distribute, I spoke to a number of individuals hoping to find those willing to attend — to my delight, all ten were received, and by those that were actively seeking, or open to considering, paid employment.

During these conversations, I came across many individuals with impressive skill sets, some with certified qualifications across various trades, and/or years of experience under their belt — each with their own unique reasons for finding themselves in their current situation.

On the evening of Tuesday 3rd March, I was notified that at least two of the ten recipients had attended, and in fact completed, both of the skill-building workshops — and even better, I received confirmation that at least one person had completed the entire “Big Day Out” program.