{"id":2267,"date":"2024-09-21T08:25:00","date_gmt":"2024-09-20T22:25:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/192.168.1.221:8741\/?p=2267"},"modified":"2025-01-22T15:19:05","modified_gmt":"2025-01-22T05:19:05","slug":"chandras-culinary-skills-shine-in-new-jo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.octec.org.au\/my\/news\/chandras-culinary-skills-shine-in-new-jo\/","title":{"rendered":"Chandra\u2019s culinary skills shine in new job"},"content":{"rendered":"

Barriers<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the age of 64, Chandrasothy (Chandra) faced significant challenges on her path to finding employment. With muscular-skeletal issues, a language barrier, and eight years unemployed, she struggled to find work in the job market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Approaching OCTEC<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In late 2020, her journey took a positive turn when she reached out to OCTEC Disability Employment Services (DES)<\/a> in Hampton Park, Melbourne\u2019s southeast. There, she connected with consultant Asanthi Bulathsinghalage (Asa), who immediately recognised Chandra\u2019s enthusiasm and culinary skills, even though she lacked relevant work experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Asa helped Chandra build her r\u00e9sum\u00e9, arranged mock interviews to boost her confidence, and coordinated volunteer work for her to gain valuable experience. When Chandra felt ready, Asa accompanied her to local hospitality businesses to promote her in person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, the road to employment was not without setbacks. At the beginning of 2021, Chandra started a job but quickly discovered it was not the right fit. Faced with multiple rejections, Chandra often felt discouraged due to her age and language barriers. But Asa remained a source of support, encouraging Chandra to stay positive and view each experience as a stepping stone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Their perseverance paid off when they visited MDK Restaurant to meet the owner. During the meeting, Chandra captivated the team with her knowledge and passion for cooking. Asa also presented a Biz Support package that included a wage subsidy and covered the costs of workwear, making it easier for the employer to take her on<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After two interviews, Chandra received an offer for a kitchenhand position at the restaurant. She has since thrived, becoming a reliable and valued team member.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chandra is grateful for OCTEC\u2019s support, including the work-related clothing and transportation assistance after her placement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt has been amazing to have so much support from OCTEC and especially my case manager, Asanthi. She is kind, supportive, and encouraging. Because of my age and my long unemployment, I didn\u2019t believe I could be an asset to any company. But now, I love every moment at work. I have a wonderful boss and a great team at MDK Restaurant. We are like a family<\/em>.”<\/p>Chandrasothy<\/cite><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Deepal, the restaurant owner, echoed Chandra\u2019s sentiments, praising her reliability and initiative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMrs. Chandra has demonstrated exceptional qualities and has been a fantastic addition to our team. We are grateful for Asanthi’s support and hope to collaborate again in the future,\u201d<\/strong> said Deepal.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you live with a disability, illness, or injury and are looking for work, please feel free to reach out to your local employment specialists for assistance<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With OCTEC’s support, 64-year-old Chandra overcame multiple barriers to find joy and success in her new culinary job.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":2268,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_gspb_post_css":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2267","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-stories"],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":8}},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.octec.org.au\/my\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2267","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.octec.org.au\/my\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.octec.org.au\/my\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.octec.org.au\/my\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.octec.org.au\/my\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2267"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.octec.org.au\/my\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2267\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2635,"href":"https:\/\/www.octec.org.au\/my\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2267\/revisions\/2635"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.octec.org.au\/my\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2268"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.octec.org.au\/my\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2267"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.octec.org.au\/my\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2267"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.octec.org.au\/my\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2267"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}