Personal support gives Troy the tools to build a better life

Troy Downie says he owes a lot to the staff at IntoJobs for helping turn his life around. The 51-year-old has endured his share of challenges but remains determined to rebuild and find his feet again.

“For a while there, I didn’t know what to do with myself,” Troy said. “All I can say is that the team at IntoJobs actually helped me through a really difficult personal time. I was pretty shattered and if it wasn’t for that team of people, I don’t know if I’d actually have pulled it together.”

Troy left his hometown of Emerald in Central Queensland when personal circumstances made it impossible for him to stay. Looking for a fresh start, the former cleaner moved to Rockhampton in search of work, but repeated knockbacks shattered his confidence and he began to lose hope.

The team at IntoJobs (part of the IntoWork Group) could see Troy was close to breaking point. They recognised his determination to find work and knew he just needed a boost in self-belief and some professional support to get himself back on track.

Troy’s Mobile Employment Consultant, Lydia Howe, was committed to seeing him weekly to touch base, explore options and check in on his overall wellbeing. While finding work for Troy was the ultimate goal, he was grateful to IntoJobs that it wasn’t the sole priority.

“I know they’re supposed to just look after employment, but these guys think about the value of the person. The team was there for me. I couldn’t focus on work. I couldn’t focus on anything. But when IntoJobs showed me that personal care, it just made me feel like it’s worth the effort,” Troy said.

Lydia helped Troy secure a stable place to live. She worked with him through employment training programs, arranged transport options and found a job opportunity as a driver for Woolies.

“He never lost his motivation to work on building a better life for himself,” Lydia said. “Despite the setbacks, he kept moving forward. With every small step, his confidence has been building and now we can see that determination is starting to pay off.”

Troy has since been shortlisted for a role with a local bus company as a detailer and is optimistic about the potential for it to lead to a role as a driver.

“I’m definitely on track now. When you’re down, the knockbacks can get to you and sometimes you think there’s a better pathway. I got quite a lot of help from a lot of different people. So my focus is just on myself now. It’s not about pushing things away, it’s about building myself up to where I used to be.”