From dressmaker to carer

Sokha was born in Cambodia and lived in the countryside with her parents.

‘I left high school in 1999, and went to Phnom Penn to study dressmaking for a year.’

After that, Sokha went back to her home town where she taught young girls to sew.

‘In my home town there were not many jobs, so most people worked in the clothing factories. I taught young people dressmaking skills so they could get a job.

Then Sokha fell in love and married an Australian, and moved to Melbourne in 2019.

She started learning English at the Yarraville Community Centre in Footscray. But she knew she needed to undertake further training to get an ongoing job in Australia, so she also enrolled in a Learn Local Skills for Work and Study: Aged Care course.

‘I want to work with older people, to help care for them, because in my culture, respecting and caring for older people is very important. My mother and grandparents have all passed away, so I can’t care for them now.’

Sokha has now also enrolled in the Certificate III in Individual Support (Ageing) at Yarraville Community Centre, which she hopes to finish in December.

‘My goal is to get work as a personal care attendant in an aged care facility in 2022.’