Shayden
Shayden joined the video game testing program, QA for Gaming, in October 2024 as an experienced gamer who wanted to explore what employment opportunities might look like. This was an exciting step in testing a career path that would be a great fit for him. In his words for him, this was also about a pathway to become a more responsible adult with a future goal of renting his own home and contributing his employment taxes back to society. He also joined to get out of the house and build his confidence and skills to work with other young people he didn’t know. Prior to this, Shayden begun his learning journey at Youth Options in May 2023 and over 14 months developed his confidence and skills in cooking, resilience, and career development.
Shayden brought his love of video gaming playing and reading to the program, as well as his skills in critical thinking, relating to others, and giving feedback. Over 3 months he completed level 1 and level 2 and gained 5 South Australian Skills Commission accredited micro-credentials in: play testing, bug testing, game test plan writer, game test case writer, and game play testing lead.
During this time Shayden grew more confident in his testing skills, giving group presentations, and demonstrating his initiative including pro-actively asking questions to improve his learning and performance. These are employability skills that employers highly value alongside his technical skills in video game testing.
We thought Shayden was so good, we employed him as a QA for Gaming peer leader. In this role he is responsible for co-supporting participants with their technical learning and soft skill development alongside our highly experienced QA tester. Alongside his technical skills, Shayden’s flair for establishing rapport, his facilitation skills, and giving constructive feedback have really shone.
We are so proud of him and are excited about his working future.
Keegan
Keegan joined the video game testing program, QA for Gaming, in October 2024 as an experienced gamer who wanted to explore what employment opportunities might look like. This was an exciting step in testing a career path that would be a great fit for him.
Prior to this, Keegan begun his learning journey at Youth Options in May 2024 and over five months developed his confidence and skills in cooking. Keegan is also currently building his driving skills to achieve his driver’s licence to not only improve his independence but to also increase the variety of more secure jobs available to him which often require a driver’s licence.
Keegan brought their love and high level of experience playing video games to the program, as well as his skills in critical thinking, relating to others, and giving feedback. Over 3 months he completed level 1 and level 2 and gained 5 South Australian Skills Commission accredited micro-credentials in: play testing, bug testing, game test plan writer, game test case writer, and game play testing lead.
During this time Keegan, grew more confident in his testing skills, giving group presentations, and demonstrating his initiative including pro-actively asking questions to improve his learning and performance. He also has grown significantly in improving his communication skills in a group setting and becoming more accepting and adaptable in social situations. He has also practiced his networking skills and made connections with local and national game developers.
We thought Keegan was so good, we employed him as a QA for Gaming peer leader. In this role he is responsible for co-supporting participants with their technical learning and soft skill development alongside our highly experienced QA tester. Alongside his technical skills, Keegan’s flair for establishing rapport, his facilitation skills, and giving constructive feedback have really shone.
We are so proud of him and are excited about his working future.
Finn
Finn began our service in February 2023 and wanted to work but was unsure of his pathway and needed support to become work ready. Over 23 months, Finn developed his skills and confidence in the preparation, cutting, grinding, work health and safety, and the welding of metal in a very small group setting with other welders-in-training. Youth Options also supported him to gain his white card so he could work in the construction industry. Finn also developed his skills in punctuality, focus, communication and teamwork. Importantly he also improved his ability to adapt to unexpected changes in preparation for the world of work. These employability skills are key skills that employers as much as technical skills.
Finn made the most of his time in workshop and really enjoyed the setting of meeting new people and building friendships while learning together. He developed connections with other mentees and a friendly member of the workshop who was always quick to praise other mentees about their work.
Building resilience for a brighter future
During this time Finn also joined our resilience program to find a career pathway that was a great fit for him. He was empowered to identify and explore different trades and with the support of his family gained work experiences including mechanic and plumbing before finding landscape construction.
He also identified that improving his literacy and numeracy was key to achieving a traineeship. However, actually working on these skills was a major challenge. He used what he learnt in resilience about awareness, acceptance, goals, motivation, growth mindset and more to unlock the secrets to motivation. He became a self-starter and willingly worked on his math skills independently. Finn also designed his own resilience challenges to practice when welding in our workshop. This integrated approach across programs and mentors allowed his team to better understand how to better empower him to build his resilience quicker and for Finn to understand more deeply how resilience could help him to not just get a job, but keep it.
Achieving Employment with a Traineeship
In June 2024, Finn was offered a traineeship in landscape construction and is currently being paid to work for a contractor as he studies to complete a certificate III in landscape construction. Finn showcased his commitment to his learning at Youth Options where he continued to come in at the end of his working week as a trainee and develop his welding skills in our welding bays.
We are so proud of Finn and are excited for his working future!
Testimonial from his parents:
We feel he has gained excellent skills that will assist him in work and at home. It has given him huge confidence to try new skills and not block a pathway which at first he might not realise he would enjoy. He felt so supported and comfortable at Youth options that he could extend himself and take opportunities that previously he wouldn’t of taken.
Hamish
Hamish began our service in January 2024 and wanted to explore what a great job would look like for him and to achieve his driver’s licence. He started with our career development services to help him identify a career pathway based on what he was interested in and good at. He identified landscaping and horticulture and joined the Youth Options Garden Squad to test whether this was a pathway for him. He also began our Drive Me driving mentoring to achieve his independence. Having a driver’s licence also broadens his choice of employment as having one is often a requirement of more skilled and secure work.
Growing a Career with Youth Options Garden Squad
Hamish joined the squad for 12 months to develop his confidence and skills in horticulture and landscaping and his employability skills. Our highly skilled mentor with extensive gardening experience worked with Hamish in a way that worked for him.
Through Garden Squad, Hamish was able to access real world industry projects to develop his capacity with our partnership with the City of Adelaide Horticulture team. Through more than ten verge garden projects across the Adelaide CBD, he developed his skills in: work health and safety, plant identification, plant propagation, soil preparation, irrigation installation, seasonal planting, as well as lawn and plant maintenance with hedge trimming, lawn mowing, and weeding. Hamish also developed his employability skills in working with others, organisation, and problem-solving which employers value as much as technical skills.
Hamish realised he wanted a career path in horticulture and not just casual work. We helped him identify that a traineeship would be a great way to achieve this goal because on completion he would receive a certificate III in horticulture as an industry recognised qualification. Longer term, this will give him eligibility for a greater variety of employment with better pay and conditions than causal unqualified work.
To achieve this goal Hamish needed to work on his numeracy. He showed real leadership and commitment in his own success by working on this independently until he reached the required standard.
Achieving Employment with a Traineeship
In January 2025, Hamish began a traineeship with a reputable council in their Horticulture team as an employment of Maxima through their group training organisation. The result is Hamish is being paid to study alongside the training he is receiving with the horticulture team.
We are so proud of Hamish and are excited for his working future.
Fitness for Work and Resilience Program
CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT NDIS SERVICES ENQUIRY
Find it hard to start exercising or to keep it up? Maybe you want to make more social connections with other like minded young people? Perhaps you want more fitness and strength to enjoy life and to feel more confident. Maybe you have realised to get and keep that physically active job you want, it is time to work on your strength and fitness.
Our individualised and integrated exercise and resilience program will empower you to succeed where many others fail. By unlocking the secrets of self-motivation and more, you’ll learn how to not just start exercising but to keep exercising, and to enjoy it.
About the Program
Through our twice weekly individualised small group exercise and resilience program, you’ll experience:
- An individualised strength and conditioning exercise program from a qualified personal trainer;
- Exclusive use of a commercial gym to train in as a team without the general public;
- Support from a qualified personal trainer to train in a friendly small group environment;
- Individualised behavioural coaching to understand how evidence-based resilience concepts of self-motivation, confidence, growth mindset, positive psychology, adaptability and more can make it easier to enjoy the training sessions and to keep exercising;
- Individualised resilience coaching to set your own safe exercise challenges outside of the program.
For more information about our resilience program please see here:
Funded By:
- CB Increased Social and Community Participation;
- CB Finding and Keeping A Job;
- School Leaver Employment Support (SLES);
- Core assistance with social, economic, and community participation.
