Jemma has been kicking goals since she left school at age 16. She got a job at The Athlete’s Foot in Sunshine Plaza, and scored a place on the Sunshine Coast Goannas team to compete in the Australian Indigenous Football League. Jemma is also getting in touch with her indigenous roots, and recently travelled to the Blue Mountains to understand and learn more about her heritage.

But lately, she’s been working towards another important goal: a career in Real Estate and Property Development. And thanks to her Business Administration Traineeship and a little help from Community Solutions, she’s on the right track to achieve it.

Here’s how Jemma kick-started her dream career.

Where she started

Though she enjoyed working at The Athlete’s Foot, Jemma knew she wanted to be in the business world. She decided to take action toward the career she wanted. She quit her job and started looking for opportunities that would better align with her ambitions.

When searching for jobs on Seek, Jemma realised that she would need a business background to get the kind of job she wanted. Gaining new business skills and knowledge would allow Jemma to access more job opportunities in alignment with her career aspirations.

It wasn’t long before Jemma noticed an ad for a Business Administration Traineeship: an employment opportunity which meant that she could become qualified with a Certificate III in Business Administration via TAFE Qld while earning an income working as a trainee.

“I’ve always wanted to be in business, and saw this training and thought, I could get a qualification out of this!”, said Jemma. “I applied through Seek straight away.”

Image of Jemma who's business traineeship kick-started her career.

An opportunity arises

When she clicked ‘submit application’ on Seek, Jemma didn’t know that Sunshine Coast Airport had already started its search for new trainees.

“Our General Manager has a previous relationship with Community Solutions, so he reached out to Joe and Craig for help finding the right candidate,” said Nikki Greentree, People and Performance Officer at Sunshine Coast Airport.

Jemma stood out straight away. With her determination, goal-oriented mindset, and confidence, we knew Jemma would make the most of a Traineeship opportunity.

“When you’re young, you’re sort of just going with the flow. But Jemma had goals in mind already, which is something that you can’t teach,” said Nikki.

Jemma didn’t have to wait long to find out if she was successful in her interview. One day, while she was at home with her mum, Jemma got the call she’d been waiting for.

“When I got the call about getting the job, I was so excited,” said Jemma. “My mum was sitting next to me, cheering me on!”

Landing the job with Sunshine Coast Airport

Jemma has now been working as a Business Administration Trainee at Sunshine Coast Airport for almost six months while completing her Certificate III in Business Administration course at TAFE. One thing is for sure: between TAFE and work, Jemma is busy!

According to Jemma, every day at work is different. She might be working in reception, greeting customers and answering phone calls one day. The next day, she might be working and supporting different departments with administrative tasks.

But, like most of us, Jemma has a favourite part of her job: being at the terminal among the action.

“I love going down to the terminal. That involves offering customers extra support, answering questions if they have them, helping them get somewhere if they are lost and stuff like that,” said Jemma.

Keeping her goals in sight

Everyone at Sunshine Coast Airport loves having Jemma on board and don’t want to lose her from the team any time soon.

For Jemma, this traineeship is just the beginning. Her heart is set on her ultimate goal of working in real estate sales and property deals. Having seen shows on Netflix where real estate agents get to sell amazing properties and travel for work, Jemma knows real estate is where she wants to be. And she has a plan.

“When I go into real estate, I wouldn’t start off in sales. You have to work your way up and do courses and whatnot,” said Jemma. “So I’d probably start as a receptionist or assistant.”

Jemma still has 6 months to go before she finishes her traineeship with Sunshine Coast Airport. Luckily for Jemma, she’ll have the qualification and experience she needs to take the next step towards her dream job when she’s finished!

If you’d like to discover new opportunities through education and training, get in touch to start your traineeship journey today.

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