As the youth unemployment crisis worsens in the Shoalhaven, with more than a quarter of young people in the Shoalhaven out of work, a young man from Bomaderry who just scored his first graduate position has encouraged his peers not to lose heart.
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Blake Groves, 22, finished uni in July, and will start full time work at the Commonwealth Bank in Sydney in two weeks.
“There is opportunity out there,” he said.
“If you apply yourself and take everything that comes your way, you should be able to find something somewhere regardless of whether it’s local or far away.”
He said rather than stressing about the lack of openings, job seekers should be planning for their future.
Blake has attributed his seamless transition to the workforce to the summer internships he took part in during his time at uni at Ernst & Young, Moody’s Financial Metrics and CommInsure.
“The job offer felt pretty good, I’d been searching since Christmas time,” he said.
“Because of my prior experience with Commonwealth, they gave me a second interview.”
The former Bomaderry High student completed a bachelor of commerce, and took part in the dean’s scholar program at University of Wollongong.
The key to his success at uni was choosing the right course.
“I wasn’t sure if I’d end up going to uni, but a lot of my teachers supported me and encouraged me to go,” he said.
“I enjoyed my course from day one, it helped me to get good marks.”
