From Crisis to Career: How We Help Refugees Thrive in the Australian Workforce’
What skills can you develop at home so that your work community will see your abilities?
For those arriving in Australia, this can be an overwhelming endeavour. Refugees are coming to us, having lost their profession through conflict, persecution or disaster – the most recent being those fleeing Ukraine – and seeking to rebuild their lives through work. Their journey from crisis to career can be long and arduous. It involves complexities such as bridging language barriers, and understanding and navigating foreign job markets. It also involves presenting and having foreign qualifications recognised. But with the right support, refugees can enter the Australian workforce and find decent and productive work, enabling them to rebuild their lives and take back their dignity and autonomy.
It’s what SSI has excelled in doing: matching up the refugee with prospective employers that value their skills and experience; providing job placement and training services; and offering ongoing employment support to ensure they can continue to harness the opportunities available to them in the Australian labour market.
Understanding the Challenges Refugees Face
The barriers to work for refugees are large but not insurmountable. For many, English proficiency presents a key barrier to employment. Upon arrival in Australia, refugees have varying English skills. Without support, even the most qualified refugees may end up employed in low-skill jobs or unable to get work in their field at all.
Another huge issue is the recognition of professional qualifications from overseas. Refugees who were doctors, engineers, teachers or from other professional classes may find that the relevant professional or trade body in Australia does not recognise their training, or that employers are not interested in their skill set. Take the engineer Joseph Comey from Sudan. Imagine how dispiriting it feels for a man who had a respected, professional life in his home country to be reduced to working as a taxi driver or in
And, finally, the majority of refugees have limited local work experience or professional networks into which to access jobs in Australia. Lacking contacts in their industry, refugees may find it difficult to locate employers willing to take a chance on them.
How We Support Refugees in Their Job Search
Our organisation has undertaken the mission of breaking through these barriers to bring employment opportunities to refugees. We provide a series of services tailored to the special circumstances of refugees, fostering their employment prospects through language courses, job readiness work and placements, mentorship and networking.
We also provide job placement as one of our core services. We identify the gaps between refugee skills and qualifications and available jobs in the labour market, and we liaise with employers on a regular basis to create job matches. We have a database with targeted employers across all Australian states and territories, and we make sure that the work and career prospects we offer for refugees are tailored to each of their backgrounds and aspirations.
Alongside job placement, we also help refugees transition to employment by offering English language courses, workplace readiness training and mentorship programmes to build the confidence and skills refugees need to succeed in their new role. We don’t just want refugees to get a job, we want to help refugees build a career that provides long-term stability and professional growth.
The Role of Employers in Refugee Success
Employers have an important role to play in helping refugees move from crisis to career. By giving refugees a chance to work, employers here give refugees a route to independence and integration. Refugees typically arrive in the country with a high degree of motivation and ready to work. They also have a reservoir of skills, experience and resilience that they can bring to the work environment and contribute to the workplace. Employers who give refugees a chance to work benefit from the motivation and creativity that refugees bring. They also contribute to a more tolerant and diverse society.
Conclusion
The road from crisis to career is never easy, but with the right support personnel, refugees can move into work with real hope and the chance to build a more fulfilled life. Self Help Africa is dedicated to breaking down the barriers to employment that still inhibit refugees in Australia and providing them with the opportunity to regain productive livelihoods.
Together refugee talent, we open up opportunities for refugees who have been through a lot to actually succeed. We can turn their crisis into career. We can turn their hope into reality.
