SEE works together with accredited training
Balquees arrived from Pakistan in 2017. She had been studying a Bachelor of Arts in Pakistan but came to Australia with her family to join her father. In Australia, even though she is only in her 20s, she spent a lot of time staying at home as she lacked confidence in English. She was very shy and had no friends outside her family.
When she started with Sarina Russo, she was referred her to the Skills for Education and Employment (SEE) program to improve her English. She began SEE at Laverton Community Integrated Service in October 2022.
Balquees also wanted to get a qualification so she enrolled in the Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care. She remained in the SEE program while she did the certificate. Her SEE teacher was able to provide extra support for what she was learning in the Certificate class. SEE was an environment where she could take risks, have new experiences and make new friends. She also learned about different work and educational pathways.
Balquees finished up with SEE in May 2023. In July 2023 she also successfully completed her Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care. She is currently doing interviews for work in childcare and also hoping to go back to study a Diploma in childcare in 2024. On a recent visit to Laverton Community Integrated Services’ offices she said that she was now ‘extremely proud of herself!’