Site visit for Building Regula...
Our NZ Certificate in Building Regulatory Environment (BRE) in-class stream of students had the opportunity to see their learning...
Nurturing her ill partner has sparked a new vocation for graduate Jagruti Parmar. The 54-year-old found her true calling while caring for husband Girish, who has sustained multiple joint replacements as well as suffering from a skin condition. “After all these years of looking after my husband, I thought of making a career out of what I loved doing,” she says.
Jagruti was driven to take her personal experience “to the wider community where it is needed.” So she turned to Future Skills Academy, Royal Oak for a NZ Certificate in Health and Wellbeing Level 2 programme.
“Going to learn again after almost three decades of not studying was nerve wrecking,” she says. But Jagruti knew she would feel right at home as soon as she met “lovely lecturer,” Maria Oxenham and saw the enticing campus. Prayers and singing in class eased any stress and compelled students to turn up every day, she says. Colleagues grew into good friends. “We all became a family in those 15 weeks of the course.”
Soon after graduating, Jagruti landed a fulfilling role taking elderly people to appointments and the shops, keeping them safe from the risk of falls. “I give them company by talking to them or just making sure they are not lonely,” she says. Jagruti helps them with personal care such as taking a shower.
She offers respite care and tends to young people recovering from surgeries or illness. “I give them company by talking to them or just making sure they are not lonely,” she says. “I love my job. It gives me so much pleasure when I see a smile on their faces after they have achieved their goal.”
The mother to one son enjoys the flexibility of the job which she juggles with looking after Girish. Born in Kenya, East Africa, Jagruti worked for 15 years in the computer sales industry where she met the love of her life. In 2002, the family moved to New Zealand for a better future and she worked in the food industry, running a convenience store before merchandising for bulk foods in supermarkets.
Today, Jagruti is grateful to tutor Maria for guiding her into a dream career. “The academy helped me find pleasure in the work I do.”
A highlight of the programme was learning about different cultures and understanding that you could use different methods to achieve the same outcome, she says. “We not only learnt how to accept different cultures and religions but how to tackle the issues that we would face in the jobs that we were heading for in the health care system.”
