Parents often tell us that their employment situation was greatly impacted by their child’s cancer experience. The realities of treatment sometimes mean that at least one parent quits or greatly decreases their hours. They may need to change industries for a more flexible solution, or they miss out on the career progression that would have been made if a cancer diagnosis had not occurred.

Tom’s story

In 2019, Tom’s 14-year-old daughter, Bianca had a lump on her neck tested and was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. In Bianca’s case her lymph nodes were affected, along with her bloodstream, when it is usually one or the other. It was something the doctors hadn’t seen before in Australia.

Unfortunately, along with the distress of Bianca’s rare diagnosis and treatment, the pressure of career and family left Tom feeling overwhelmed.

On a daily basis, Tom was:

JobAccelerator, powered by Hudson, is a combination of 1-on-1 tailored coaching, live webinars, and online self-learning to help parents and carers transition careers, re-enter the work force or manage any other effects their child’s cancer diagnosis and treatment has had on their job situation.

The program includes one-on-one sessions with a Career Coach to focus on the parent’s needs.

For Tom this included:

“I don’t think there’s a limit to what JobAccelerator is, because they individualise it to you. The actual interview section was handy; how to find a job, the skill levels needed. In corporate language it was things like a thought shaper. Change people, managing people and managing change.”

“I think JobAccelerator is valuable for anyone to go through, to sit down, especially as you’re going through your health needs, you are reflecting on your life, and you are reflecting on where you’re at and what you want to do with your life. But if you’re just doing it by yourself, nothing is going to happen. Whereas if someone’s sitting there guiding you and coaching you, it makes you proactive.”