Dedication and a positive attitude have opened doors for Stacey Davies. 73660 Picture: Joe Mastroianni
Charlene Gatt
STACEY Davies was left smiling last week after receiving a welcome scholarship from the Westgate Community Initiatives Group.
Ms Davies, 19, left school just before finishing Year 10 because of difficulties at home.
She was referred to WCIG’s Footscray office by Centrelink to do the National Green Jobs Corps programs.
It was here she expressed her desire to work with kids.
“I always had a thing for childcare, but I was willing to take anything at that point because I wasn’t living at home, I had no money, I had to do something.”
Ms Davies had just missed the boat on the Children’s Services course that had started, so she did an aged care course while waiting for the next Children’s Services course to start.
While completing her Children’s Service course, Ms Davies used her initiative to get work experience at ABC Melton West, where she works today with three and four year olds.
“I love it, it’s really good.”
She is now enrolled in the diploma course and will use her scholarship to help get her driver’s licence.
The scholarships were given out as part of the WCIG’s 25th birthday celebrations.
The group started in 1986 when the Westgate Baptist Church started up a small job creation project to tackle the high unemployment numbers in the West.
Today, WCIG is standing on its own two feet and has found employment for thousands of people across the West and in Melbourne, with offices in Footscray, Melton, Sunshine, St Albans, Werribee, Moonee Ponds, Dallas and Broadmeadows.
