For over 15 years Dana Sawyer thought she had her career path all mapped out, firstly in accounting and later running her own Sydney-based picture-framing business.
But when her beloved mum suddenly required high level care at the age of 67, Dana’s life also took a dramatic turn.
Frustrated by the lack of professional advice and services to help give her mum the care she needed, Dana took it upon herself to do something about it.
She upskilled in the areas of case management, and together with her friend launched Millennium Aged Care Consultants, which has today helped place more than 4000 seniors with quality aged care providers via its four nationwide offices.
“I wasn’t looking to upskill but in hindsight it’s the best thing I’ve ever done,” says Dana, mother of three.
“Sadly mum is no longer with us [she passed away at home nine years ago] but her legacy is the help the company now gives thousands of seniors and their families.”
Whether you’re new to the job market, or forced to change tack later in life like Dana, experts agree that upskilling is the best way to stay ahead of the pack in an increasingly competitive market.
One of the leaders in this field is Upskilled, a Registered Training Organisation (RTO) based in Australia that innovates the effective and efficient delivery of vocational qualifications and short courses to working professionals, job seekers and school leavers.
Upskilled has more than 90 courses available, all of them are nationally accredited, and mainly operate online.
Learning support co-ordinator Andrea Vanderkly says she’s never looked back since gaining diplomas in business, business administration and management with Upskilled.
“I found that when looking for a job employers look for both experience and qualifications so it was reassuring to know that I had them [thanks to Upskilled],” beams Andrea.
“You can also learn practical, relevant concepts and implement them into your workplace without having to do a degree that could take several years.”
This is a sponsored post by Upskilled. All opinions expressed by the author are authentic and written in their own words.