Petros' story

A young man with Big W as his training ground – on his way to becoming a personal trainer.

Petros, a year 12 with an intellectual disability at Berendale Secondary School, has landed his first ever job at Big W. Supported by the Ticket to Work network through the After School Jobs pilot project, Petros has a chance to be like all other secondary students and be supported to have a part-time after school job.

Angela from Access Australia Group, part of the Ticket to Work network, supported him through the whole process and arranged some work experience at Big W. “They were so impressed by Petros’ great attitude and eagerness to work – which is why he was hired at the end of the work experience”, she said.

Petros now works 4 hours a week as a retail assistant. Deb, the 2IC said, “Petros is really good on the registers and with customers…he gained so much confidence during his first few shifts, he spoke up and wanted to be on the door – he’s very good with the customers and it’s working out perfectly.”

“He’s had no register errors, he’s picked everything up really quickly, is always on time, always well dressed – it’s working out really well for us and for him”, she said.  Petros loves his job and wants more shifts.

Michelle, who managed Petros’ work experience at Big W, praised him for his work ethic and ability to work across all areas of the store. Big W are extremely supportive of young people with disability finding open employment and will continue to be build the strong relationship they have with the Ticket to Work initiative.

Petros' aspires to become a personal trainer one day and work with his Uncle in the fitness industry. He wants to help others get fit and healthy, and his job at Big W is helping him to learn the skills to interact with a lot of people, which is something he will need to do as a personal trainer.