Adisa joined MTC in 2011 as a Skills for Education and Employment (SEE) Trainer in Liverpool. In 2013, she was promoted to Senior Trainer and taught different LLNP and SEE courses at Liverpool until 2021. That year, Adisa was promoted again, this time to Centre Manager for Cabramatta where she worked until July 2023 when she was promoted to the Area Manager role.

Adisa was born in Bosnia, raised in Germany, and moved to Australia in 1999. She is a mother of two boys, and her weekends are often spent with them and her husband at soccer or basketball games. She loves to travel, and on any sunny day, you can find her enjoying the beach.

Can you tell us a bit about your MTC journey? 

I’ve been with MTC since 2011, so it has been a long journey for me.
I started with MTC when my older son was just three years old. MTC has given me the opportunity to stay in the workplace, focus on my career, but also have a second child and be a Mum and be supportive to my family.

I was able to make the progress through my career because of all who believed in me.  Especially my managers who pushed me and gave me the opportunities to grow from a SEE Trainer to a Senior Trainer, then onto Centre Manager and now Area Manager looking after the Sydney East Metro SEE sites.

All of this was possible because we at MTC do believe in women. We don’t just judge them because, “she’s a Mum”, or “she’s a wife”. We have room to grow, be flexible and take the time off for maternity leave and come back and have better opportunities.

What is your perspective of empowerment and how critical were the people around you in helping lift you up?

I think I’ve been very lucky that in my 14 years at MTC, I’ve only had three managers. Managers who always believed in me, were supportive and always listened to me. I could raise issues, and I was listened to and provided support, straight away.

And now as a manager myself, I sometimes look at solutions before the problem comes, especially with innovative projects or starting new things.

What is the best advice you have ever received?

I was told, “Your manager and leader might be less experienced and knowledgeable to lead you and the team, but they put up their hand and were willing to give it a go. If you don’t put up your hand and instead stay within your comfort zone, you are stopping yourself from growing and achieving bigger accomplishments.” That was some advice I was given that made me think about my career path. It helped to push me to put up my hand for different Management positions. With the help of that advice, I am in this role today.

What would you say to your 21-year-old self?

Don’t be scared of taking risks, it is completely fine to fail before you get any success. Step out of your comfort zone and try new things. Put yourself first, look after yourself, and prioritise your needs, it is not selfish at all to put yourself first. Go, travel, and see the world follow your dreams. Don’t let others take you for granted.