When Kallahrney Turner decided to leave behind a successful career in corporate banking, she knew she wanted to use her skills to make a difference in her community. Now working in the not-for-profit sector, Kallahrney is helping other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people strengthen their financial wellbeing — and thanks to the Recoveries Corp Scholarship, she’s building the qualifications to back that passion.
“I think I just wanted to help other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people,” says Kallahrney. “The corporate life gave me great experience, but it wasn’t sustainable. I wanted to do something that really helped my community.”
The scholarship enabled Kallahrney to complete the CHCSS0077 Financial Literacy Skill Set, a nationally recognised program that equips participants to deliver financial capability education in their communities. The support, she says, made all the difference.
“If I didn’t get the scholarship, my workplace probably would’ve paid for it — but this took the pressure off. I’m always wanting to upskill and develop myself professionally, and this helped me do that without putting a strain on our organisation.”
Through her role at VACCA (Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency), Kallahrney has been introducing financial capability workshops for staff to better understand how to assist clients with money matters. Community workshops are next on the horizon.
“It’s all still new,” she explains. “Right now, I’ve been focusing on helping staff see what we can do and how we can support their clients. Once we build that understanding, we’ll take it out to the community.”
Kallahrney says the scholarship has also inspired her to continue learning. “I think maybe I will go on to do the Diploma of Financial Counselling. I’ll definitely stay in the community sector.”
When asked what message she’d share with Recoveries Corp about the importance of funding more scholarships, Kallahrney doesn’t hesitate.
“There are very few qualified Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in this space. Many can’t afford the training, even though the passion and potential are there. We need companies like Recoveries Corp to give our people a chance.”
Her words echo the call from ICAN’s own Tracey McCurdy, who leads the First Nations Financial Counselling and Capability Worker Network: “There are only a handful of us working in financial counselling and capability across Victoria. We need more mob working with mob — and scholarships like this one are helping us make that happen.”
About the Recoveries Corp Scholarship
The Recoveries Corp Scholarship supports First Nations students to undertake the CHCSS0077 Financial Literacy Skill Set, delivered through ICAN Learn. The scholarship aims to increase the number of qualified First Nations financial capability workers across Australia, empowering communities to strengthen their financial futures. 👉 Want to learn more or apply for the next round of scholarships? Check out our scholarships page: https://icanlearn.edu.au/scholarships/
