Mentoring Younger Workers
Startup social entrepreneur, Samantha Bushell, wants to bring the romance and fun back to careers in aged care. From Samantha ‘s own experiences working in aged care, she proclaims,
‘I’m sick of people being surprised when I say that I want to work in aged care …’
Did you know the median age of workers in residential and community care is 50 years of age? (Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing, 2012) Many aged care workers under 40 feel out of place, and leave for other careers within 3 years.
Samantha has founded the ACORNS Project, a startup that connects younger employees with the senior management in residential and community aged care. Her goal is not to place people into jobs. The ACORNS Project creates leadership conversations, and mentoring opportunities with senior management.
Mentoring the Mentor
Samantha was looking for a right place to start her dream. Her specialty social startup needed to fit, she craved the motivation of co-workers, and she needed more than a ‘virtual office.’
She chose the Nest, a flexible office space in Perth, because the Nest offers a diverse range of mentoring, coaching collaboration, and seminar topics. Samantha has built her ACORNS Project up to 270 participants across Australia in just 4 months. And, 25% of her members are in senior management in the aged care industry.
At the Nest, she has received guidance for her market research. She quickly identified issues, and her ACORNS members are actively:
- Mentoring younger aged care workers for leadership positions
- Collaborating on career advancement plans
- Building a supportive culture between older and younger employees
Samantha has found the Nest office space has helped her take ownership of her startup. The Nest’s mentors, and other office space members have helped her clarify her business plan, find funding, and connect with sponsors. Samantha can be found in the Nest office space working on her presentation, and speaking with aged care industry leaders. You will find her working on a presentation to the Aged Care Nurse Managers Conference in October 2014.
Have you been looking for a diverse office space that will help you get your unique startup off the ground?
Contact Mark at [email protected] or (08) 9472-5582.
