Congratulations to Global Skills Gosford participant Liisa on reaching 6 months of paid employment after first volunteering for 6 months at Vinnies Woy Woy.

When Liisa joined Global Skills in April 2024, she already knew she wanted to work in a thrift shop. A regular at Vinnies, she had a long-standing interest in thrifting and upcycling jackets. Liisa also brought a strong skillset, with experience in administration, customer service, data entry and management.

Reflecting on her journey, Liisa shared, “After I moved to the Central Coast, I visited Vinnies regularly to source jackets and knew I wanted to volunteer there. My Employment Consultant and Global Skills Community Engagement Coordinator, Jennifer, worked together to organise my placement. I volunteered for 6 months and expressed my interest in paid work. When I was put on the payroll, I was very grateful and genuinely love my job.”

Liisa says the highlights of the role are the people and the variety. “I love the customer contact and the staff are wonderful. I have met so many great people. The manager oversaw my training and made sure I understood every part of the shop. She has been incredibly supportive.”

Working across the store, from the shop floor to the sorting area, Liisa enjoys learning about the history behind each donated item. “You never know what will come in and no two days are the same. I am always learning and find it all very interesting.”

Liisa also thanked Global Skills for the ongoing support. “The Employment Consultants are amazing. They regularly check in to see how I am going and whether I need anything. Even though everything is going well, it means a lot knowing the support is there. Jennifer is also amazing and took the time to get to know me.”

Jennifer added, “Whenever I visited Liisa at work, it was clear she was excelling and enjoying her role. She embraced the opportunity and has since progressed to a supervisor position at the Woy Woy store.”

Congratulations Liisa from the entire team at Global Skills and thank you for sharing your story.