Our Story
Focus on Jobs was established in 1999 and quickly grew to become one of Auckland’s leading providers of vocational rehabilitation to ACC and private insurance companies. In 2000 the company expanded into the Central North Island.
Paul Fennessy (the current Director and Manager) started with the company in 2002 and was appointed Manager of the Auckland branch in 2003. He left in 2005, before returning in 2008. By this stage, the company was only operating in Auckland, and Paul acquired the business in 2009.
From 2009 to 2012, Focus on Jobs continued to provide occupational assessments, work trial and pre-employment preparation services to ACC, other accident insurers and private insurers around Auckland.
In 2012 Focus on Jobs developed a relationship with Active+ (then Active Physio) in preparation to submit a tender for the upcoming ACC Vocational Rehabilitation Services contract.
Active+ was successful in this tender bid, and since 2012 Focus on Jobs has been the exclusive provider of vocational consulting services to Active+ in the greater Auckland area, servicing the Back to Work and Job Search contracts. We also continue to provide Occupational Assessment (OA) services directly to our referrers; and to Active+, as the exclusive provider of OA services to Active+ in greater Auckland.
Focus on Jobs has a focus on teamwork, quality, and getting results. Our strength is our people we and take particular pride in working with our referrers and clients to get the best result for both parties. We have a particular focus on and have had great success in building relationships with employers for the purposes of placing our clients into work trials and paid employment.
Our Team
Paul Fennessy – Director Manager
Paul has worked in the careers/ vocational rehab industry since 2002 and has owned and managed Focus on Jobs since 2009.
Paul gets great satisfaction from supporting the team to do great work and has a particular interest in supporting clients to get into paid employment with supportive employers. Paul also holds the role of Clinical Services Manager- Back to Work, Job Search and Occupational Assessment Services, for Active+, which involves overseeing the service celery of these contracts across all of the Active+ sites (from Manawatu to Northland).
He has a BA (Psychology), a BPhed and a Post-Graduate Diploma in Organisational Psychology. Paul is a Professional Member of Career Development Association of New Zealand (CDANZ).
Clair – Back to Work Manager
Clair has been working in the careers field since 2001. She joined Focus on Jobs in 2015 and in 2019 moved into the role of Back to Work Service Manager. Clair enjoys supporting the Back to Work consultants to help their clients achieve a successful transition back to work. She is an active member of her community and gets involved in many community events.
She has a Graduate Certificate in Career Development and is currently studying toward a PG Certificate in Health Science (Rehabilitation). She is a Professional Member of CDANZ.
Sylvia – Administrator
Sylvia is our long serving administrator, having started with Focus on Jobs in 2004! Sylvia is the oil that keeps the motor running smoothly, and as well as providing admin support for all parts of the organisation she provides Dictaphone support for the occupational assessment team. Sylvia enjoys her role and works hard to complete it accurately and professionally.
Karen – Consultant
Karen joined Focus on Jobs in 2008 and as a senior member of our occupational assessment team assists with training and inducting new staff. She has a BA Psychology and a PG Dip Psychology (with Distinction).
Karen enjoys the opportunity to meet with clients from all walks of life, all with unique work histories. She gains satisfaction from raising clients’ awareness of the many skills they’ve often developed through their working life, which can be applied to new career directions they may not have previously thought of, thus generating for many clients a more hopeful outlook for the future.
Karen is a full member of the NZ Psychological Society.
Denise – Consultant
Denise has Bachelor of Social Science in Psychology and is part of our IOA team. She enjoys assisting people to get back into work after sometimes traumatic injuries. She says the job is never boring as she is always meeting new and interesting people. Her goal is that everyone she meets has a positive experience and comes away thinking more about their vocational options and goals.
Denise first started with Focus on Jobs in 2003, and has left, come back, left again and come back. Thankfully, she’s been back since 2014.
Denise is a full member of the Australian Society of Rehabilitation Counsellors (ASORC).
Gabrielle – Consultant
Gabrielle delivers on the BTW service and loves helping clients to find new employment, or return to their previous employment. She also loves talking to people, and is heavily involved in community and family activities.
Gabrielle joined the team in 2015 and previously worked for many years in the careers department of a high school. She has also has experience providing career services for people who have been made redundant.
Gabrielle has a Graduate Certificate of Career Development and is a Professional Member of CDANZ.
Cassie – Consultant
Cassie has worked with clients to assist them back into the workforce since 2010, and joined Focus on Jobs in 2016. She has a Bachelor of Commerce, a Diploma in Career Guidance and is currently studying toward PG Cert in Health Science (Rehabilitation). She is a Professional Member of CDANZ.
Cassie works on the BTW service. She is friendly, approachable and takes a personal interest in helping clients by taking the time to understand where they’ve come from, and where they want to go. She has a large network of employers and loves assisting clients to transition back into the workforce and to achieve their employment goals.
Ellice – Consultant
Ellice has over 20 years’ experience in the health sector, mainly in leadership positions. She has a BA (Psychology), a Masters of Social Work (Applied) (Hons), a Certificate in Social Work Supervision, and a Certificate in Group Leadership and Facilitation.
Ellice is a member of our occupational assessment team and enjoys meeting new people every day and understanding their lives in the context of their employment history. Her approach is to work together with the client to achieve positive outcomes.
Ellice joined Focus on Jobs in 2015 and is a Member of the Aotearoa New Zealand Association of Social Workers (MANZASW) and holds an Annual Practising Certificate.
Jenny – Consultant
Jenny has a Bachelor of Health Science (Occupational Therapy) and brings to her work as an occupational assessor a vast knowledge of work through her experience of assisting clients to return to different workplaces following injury.
Jenny enjoys meeting new people, learning about different jobs, and being part of the process that assists clients back into work. She likes to encourage clients to explore different work options and enjoys providing additional support to research different jobs or courses, so that the client is aware of all the options available to them and can make a good career decision.
Jenny joined Focus on Jobs in 2018, is a member of Occupational Therapy NZ and holds an Annual Practising Certificate with the Occupational Therapy Board of NZ.
Lesley – Consultant
Lesley has worked in the careers field since 2005, and has BA (Anthropology/Health Social Science) and a Grad Certificate in Career Development. Lesley is in our BTW team and finds being a part of a client’s transition back to work, and observing the positive difference this support makes to individuals, families and communities very rewarding. Lesley enjoys supporting and challenging clients to gain confidence and to reconnect with their work life, which can make a significant difference to their lives.
Lesley worked for Focus on Jobs first time in 2007, and came back in 2019! She is a Professional Member of CDANZ.
Rebecca – Consultant
Rebecca is part of our BTW team. She enjoys the opportunity to work with clients after they’ve been through tough times with their injury and are getting back to normal life again. She enjoys providing support to help them along the way through providing training, advice, arranging work experience which can often lead to the being offered paid employment. When all goes well and the client gets a job, Rebecca says she feels like she’s a “job matchmaker”.
Rebecca has a Bachelor of Education, a Diploma in Teaching and a Diploma in Career Development. She joined Focus on Jobs in 2019, have previously worked as a school teacher and running her own business.
Rebecca is an Associate Member of CDANZ, and is on her way to becoming a Professional Member.
Andrew – Consultant
Andrew has a BA (Psych), an MA (Psych), and a PGDip in Organisational Psychology, and is a Registered Psychologist. Andrew joined Focus on Jobs in 2018 and delivers both the Back to Work service and provides occupational assessments. Andrew has previously worked as a tertiary tutor in career development at NMIT.
Andrew is particularly interested in career development; satisfaction and meaning in work and career; stress and well-being; and organisational psychology. He enjoys applying his knowledge of these topics to help my clients bring about positive change in their life.
Andrew joined Focus on Jobs in 2018.
Wendy – Consultant
As a professional career consultant with over 25 years’ experience, Wendy has worked with hundreds of clients of all ages and stages. She brings a wealth of experience as a career counsellor, manager and leader and loves working alongside clients to help them develop confidence and direction. She facilitates the process of managing transition and change, helping uncover purpose, meaning and satisfaction at work.
Wendy is in our BTW team and started with Focus on Jobs in 2019. She has a Graduate Diploma in Career Development and a Post Graduate Certificate in Supervision, and is a Professional Member of CDANZ.
Richard – Consultant
Richard is our job search service and work trial sourcing specialist. He has been working with people to assist them into employment since the mid-1980s and brings with him a large network of employers. Richard enjoys engaging with employers and clients regarding employment opportunities. He likes to look at the big picture of what is possible for a client and keeps this at the forefront of his mind. Richard believes that patience and a good sense of humour are pre-requisites for the role.
Richard has a Graduate Diploma in Career Development, a Diploma in Teaching People with Disabilities and Certificates in Community Work, and Adult and Tertiary Education. He is a Professional Member of CDANZ and has been a long standing Auckland Branch committee member. He joined Focus on Jobs in 2019.