Former police officers Simon Bradstock and Sean Haran head up the Beyond the Badge charity. Photo: Beyond the Badge.
Finding a new career can be a struggle for police, firefighters, paramedics and veterans who have been forced to leave their jobs due to illness, injury or trauma.
Thanks to an injection of local funds, the Beyond the Badge retraining and support program will give current and former first responders, as well as veterans, living in Wagga Wagga an opportunity to get their lives back on track.
The charity delivers career transition workshops and support for members of the first responder and veteran community who have sustained physical injuries or mental health related illnesses resulting in their having to end their career and look for alternate employment.
The program has received a $22,500 boost as part of the Wagga RSL Club’s $100,000 grants program.
Beyond the Badge spokesperson and former West Australian Police officer Sean Haran says the career transition program provides first responders with the skills and knowledge required to increase their level of employability.
“One of the biggest challenges first responders face is the unexpected end to their chosen career,” he said.
“This may come about through both physical and mental injury or simply the need to move on due to the continued exposure to disturbing and traumatic events.”
Sean says country centres tend to miss out on many assistance programs that are run in major cities however, thanks to the club grant and help from local veteran charity Pro Patria, the three-day course will run for those based in Wagga and the surrounding region.
“As well as the many first responders needing support, we are also opening up the program to veterans as obviously Wagga has a large population of current and former military personnel,” he said.
A not-for-profit charity run by Sean and former NSW Police officer Simon Bradstock, Beyond The Badge has assisted more than 200 current and former first responders find a new career path since it was launched in 2018.
The three-day course will be held at the Wagga RSL Club from 25 to 27 October and will provide skills and support for attendees to be “courageous and seek out roles that will sustain them in the future”.
“We believe very strongly that every first responder and veteran has unique skills and qualities that most employers simply struggle to find in the general community,” Sean said.
“An increase in their self-esteem, mental health and general wellbeing has shown to positively impact the participant’s immediate family and the community.”
Sean said the demand for the program had increased exponentially due to recent events such as floods, fires and COVID-19, with many first responders stressed and exhausted.
“Our approach to responding to this increased demand for service includes the enablement of an online learning platform to allow increase in reach and accessibility to geographically dispersed users,” he said.
“The event at the Wagga RSL Club will be the first held outside of the city.”
The program focuses on mapping the participant’s career-based skills and competencies, such as leadership, decision making, risk management, mentoring and coaching and project management, which can be showcased to a potential employer.
“Over the past four years the range of jobs and careers that have been obtained is so diverse, but certainly compliance, and customer facing roles are a natural progression for many,” Sean added.
“It is very much a job seeker’s market at the moment and unless a specific degree qualification is required we would say that the sky is the limit for opportunities.”
Beyond the Badge is also seeking the involvement of business leaders who are keen to hire local veterans and first responders.
“Simon and I are coming to Wagga on 25 August for the club grant event, so would love to meet with any local business owners or managers who might be interested in being involved,” Sean said.
Club marketing manager Jo Thomas said the Club Grants program is a great initiative Wagga RSL is proud to be a part of.
“We love hearing about the real-life stories and impacts that these funds have on people and groups within our community,” she said.
“We work with Wagga Wagga City Council to determine the most important community services needs and then prioritise the applications. This year the priority funding categories were mental health, domestic and family violence plus education and employment support programs.”
Interested participants and businesses can find out more about the Beyond the Badge program via the website.
The Wagga RSL Club has given away $100,000 to community organisations in the Wagga community this year and applications will open in March 2023 for the next round of funding.
Loading ...
