Meet Tom, St Vincent's first Jigsaw Recruit

03 Feb 2022

In early October, in the midst of the Delta outbreak across Sydney, the St Vincent’s Vaccination Hub recruited a new team member, Tom, who joined the COVID Administration team in various roles.

New to the team, Tom describes keeping mostly to himself at first, having just been recruited as part of a new partnership between St Vincent’s and Jigsaw, a social enterprise that offers a training pathway for people into paid employment. The Jigsaw team work with individuals to build job-readiness skills, gain paid professional experience and are then supported to transition into employment once they are job-ready.

Tom is the first person to join St Vincent’s from the Jigsaw program and is now well and truly part of the St Vincent’s family.

When the vaccination clinic transitioned to digital check-ins and registration, one of Tom's first roles was on the frontline, becoming the face of the St Vincent’s Vaccination Hub, then progressing onto data entry and assisting patients to navigate through the vaccination clinic.

“It’s fun and it’s fast paced” said Tom. Greeting patients, helping them with the multiple QR code process, trouble-shooting technical issues, dealing with crowd control, ensuring that orderly lines and social distancing are being observed, are part of Tom’s busy days.

“I’ve never done customer service before”, Tom said recalling having to deal with some patients who were nervous, and some who displayed challenging behaviours. “I surprised myself. I never thought I could handle that, and I can”.

While Tom is enjoying the work, he says that the best part is being part of the team. “I feel included, they are my kind of people”.

“Tom has come leaps and bounds in confidence”, says Anne Mulligan, COVID Administration Manager. “We’re all so proud of him, and we’ll support him in whatever direction his career takes at St Vincent’s”.

Welcome to the St Vincent's family Tom!