Transforming lives

The Salvation Army Education and Employment (E&E) is the new name for Employment Plus, reflecting the work they do in providing education for young people and preparing people of all ages to get a job.

‘I’m a Salvationist and the reason I do what I do is very much part of my personal mission to see lives transformed,’ says Northern regional manager Gary Eilering. He has seen ‘lots and lots’ of people who have turned their lives around through E&E. ‘We see people come in with a completely negative attitude and quite disillusioned after being out of work for some time. We’re able to turn them around and give them tools to go out and find a job.’

E&E provides job specific training so that learners can get into fields from heavy transport (truck driving) and civil construction, to computing or café and barista work. It also provides ‘back to work’ courses that teach work and life skills, and helps young people attain qualifications towards further training or the workforce.

But it’s as much about changing mindsets, says Gary. ‘You see people come in because they’ve been referred from WINZ [Work and Income] and they don’t want to be there, but pretty soon the light comes on and they realise “Oh, they’re here to help me.”?’

For many people stuck in generational benefit dependency, a major part of the tutor’s role is opening their eyes to the benefits of work. ‘We talk to them about how much you can earn if you’re working, how you can get a bank account and a mortgage, and about the positive impact it will have on your kids. It’s as much about changing mindsets as about teaching job skills,’ says Gary.

‘The other day, one of our driving instructors bumped into a dad who went through E&E, and he was with his kids coming out of a toy shop. He was almost in tears, and said, “This is the first time I’ve ever been able to buy something for my kids.” Those stories are quite common.’

Don Hammond, regional manager for the Southern region, began working for E&E as a tutor 12 years ago. Up until this time, Don had always worked in seasonal, non-permanent employment: ‘I had been in a bit of trouble and had a few run-ins with the Police. So it took me a while to grow up and take some responsibility.’ Don became interested in the new technology of computing and completed some qualifications. He also began teaching young people sailing—one of the passions his father had passed on to him—and found he had an aptitude for teaching.

‘The Salvation Army gave me a chance when they took me on as a computer tutor,’ says Don. ‘They knew I had a chequered past, and could see my tattoos, but they gave me a step up. So now I’m passionate about helping young people and helping them move ahead in life.’ In turn, he has seen numerous other lives transformed.

‘I remember one young woman—she was one of those learners whose problems would wake you with a start in the middle of the night. She was particularly troubled and challenging. She would leave in the middle of class and was very defiant. I had to be very consistent and persistent. About a year later she tracked me down and thanked me for not giving up on her. She had risen to be a manager of a warehouse, and what stuck with her is that we had faith in her and didn’t give up.’

The relationship of trust that tutors build with learners is as important as the skills they teach. ‘Tutors are very significant in a person’s life—consistency and fostering a relationship of trust is crucial,’ says Don, adding, ‘I’ve got nothing but admiration for our staff.’

‘Tutors go above and beyond,’ agrees Gary. ‘They don’t work for the money; they do it because they have a passion for people and they want to see people’s lives changed.’

Josiah, 21, was unemployed for two years. He credits the strong support he received from his tutor Jacqui Sawada for turning him around [see Josiah's story on the previous page]. ‘I’m a combination of Mother Teresa and a dragon,’ laughs Jacqui. ‘I have a Mother Teresa heart, but you have to have clear boundaries. It’s about teaching the skills, but it’s as much getting them motivated and re-igniting their belief in themselves.’

Jacqui found creative ways to work with Josiah, using her skills in Japanese, adapting the military-style training he had responded well to, and working hard to advocate for Josiah to be considered as a work candidate. ‘When he got taken on he just began to shine,’ she says.

It’s not unusual for students to break down in tears, explains Jacqui, ‘because they know they’re safe, and we touch on feelings they’ve had locked away. Many people come in thinking they’re stupid, but our job is to open the door into their intelligence and their heart.’

E&E centres throughout the country work closely with other services in The Salvation Army.  The Family Store provides work experience for Jacqui’s students, as well as helping out with clothes.

Don estimates that they access the food bank every week, to help students struggling to feed themselves and their children. Gary is able to refer people to Addiction Services if addiction is a barrier to them being able to work, and says the pastoral care provided by E&E chaplains is invaluable.

The wraparound nature of the service is complemented by small classrooms that mean tutors can cater for individual needs. Don remembers one young man who came to them with ADHD and whose school could not cope with him anymore. ‘We customise the training to the learner, and our ethos is that we don’t leave anyone behind. This young man was a computer whiz and in six months he had achieved his Level 2 and 3 NCEA. He went on and did a degree in technology, and ended up coming back to us as a tutor.’

E&E also works closely with at-risk learners that may have been referred from Corrections. ‘We worked with a young person who was fearful he was going to spend a good amount of time in jail,’ says Don. ‘I called a friend of mine and got him a job in a trucking business, and he eventually got his heavy vehicle license and started trucking himself.’

A solid relationship of trust with employers is the other part of the equation for E&E—and as a result many employers are willing to take a chance on an applicant. ‘It comes down to the relationship we build with employers. They know our reputation is at stake so we will do everything to make it work for them.’

We can’t help everyone, but we can help a whole lot of people,’ sums up Gary, ‘And every job is celebrated.’

By Ingrid Barratt