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Sahvannah Brandis loves every minute of her new traineeship thanks to support from Maxima

04 June 2021
Jobs, Land and Economy
A woman in black dress with hair pulled back stands in front of a red sign in the shape of a W.

Sahvannah Brandis moved her whole life from Broome to Perth but in doing so, found a satisfying job and has improved her career prospects.

Moving your whole life across thousands of kilometres and finding accommodation is never easy.

However, in doing so, Sahvannah Brandis was able to commence a traineeship in September 2020 with Westpac Bank and is now on the path to a satisfying career.

‘It was an industry I never thought I would work in but I love every minute of it including helping my customers and working with my team at Morley Branch,’ Sahvannah said.

Claudia Collard is an Indigenous Employment Consultant with Maxima, a member of the National Apprenticeship Employment Network.

‘When I first met with Sahvannah in February 2020, it was through the recruitment of another role,’ Claudia said.

‘However, due to COVID this role was unfortunately withdrawn. Sahvannah and I kept in contact and when the opportunity came up at Westpac in Morley, Sahvannah was very enthusiastic to take up the role.’

Since commencing, Sahvannah has quickly learned the skills and duties of a bank teller and adjusted to the fast-paced environment, even though she has had no previous experience in banking.

‘I had the retail background from Costco,’ Sahvannah said.

‘However, I had to ensure I maintained strong attention to detail.  I had a great support system at the branch and could ask any colleagues for help. This helped me settle in.’

‘Mandy the branch manager has advised she has been very impressed with Sahvannah’s progression and finds her eagerness to truly learn and understand the processes, refreshing,’ Claudia said.

Sahvannah has been extremely competent in her role and taken on extra responsibilities such as managing the stationary.

She is currently completing a Certificate III in Financial Services through Trainwest. Her progress on her units is above schedule and she is on track to complete her studies well before her completion date.

‘Sahvannah has a very bright future ahead and it is an honour to be a part of it,’ Claudia said.

After enabling Savannah’s employment placement and traineeship, Maxima continues to support her during training and work placement.

‘In the next few years, I plan to finish my traineeship with the hopes of moving into a permanent role with Westpac,’ Sahvannah said.

‘Eventually I want to buy a house with the further hopes of joining the police force or army.’

Find out more

Maxima is a member of the National Apprentice Employment Network (NAEN), which is funded by the National Indigenous Australians Agency through the Jobs, Land and Economy Programme (JLEP) and Indigenous Advancement Strategy.

JLEP works to get Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people into work, support Indigenous business, and assist Indigenous people to manage effectively their land.

For more information, see Programme 1.1: Indigenous Advancement: Jobs, Land and Economy.