SUCCESS STORIES
Back on track …
Teresa & ArifaArifa migrated from Bangladesh in July 2010 and after 6 months without a job, hopes of re-establishing her IT career in Australia were fading. The SMMP linked Arifa with mentor Teresa Savage. As Director, Business Development at NSW Department of Transport, Teresa had the skills and experience to make a difference. In addition to helping Arifa with job applications, interview skills, Australian workplace culture and communication, Arifa says that Teresa provided encouragement, inspiration and hope. Arifa said that Teresa’s mentoring rekindled her dreams of working in her vocational area in Australia. Teresa wanted to be a mentor because she feels that our society benefits hugely from making the most of all the talented people who have come to Australia. Besides, the guidance and support of colleagues has been instrumental to her own career development. Teresa very much enjoyed getting to know such a bright young woman. The SMMP placed Arifa in work experience at Granville based Microsystems www.microsystems.com.au Teresa continued to support Arifa during work experience and Arifa demonstrated her worth. Microsystems took Arifa on as a full time employee.
Easier with ABC …
Alexandra, a Journalist and PR-Officer from Switzerland, enrolled in the Skilled Migrant Mentoring Program (SMMP) in April 2011, after completing the AMES Skillmax course. Alexandra, who came to Australia with her Swiss partner who is an IT-professional, knew it wouldnʼt be easy to find a job in Australia in her chosen profession. ʻBut I had no idea about the quite competitive job market in Sydney and about the importance of local experience that affects every skilled migrant, regardless of someoneʼs origin and level of English skillsʼ.
The SMMP has formed partnerships with many employers including the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). Chrissie Tucker, the Manager Diversity and Robert Patterson, Head of ABC Music, were able to organise 4 weeks unpaid work experience.
Alexandra says she was positively surprised and grateful for work experience for her exotic (and hard to perform in another language) profession at the ABC. Alexandra knew about Australian workplace culture from the Skillmax course, but now she had the opportunity to experience everything in reality. ʻI met many interesting people and could support the team of the music label department with administration, website
maintenance, editing and even writing short marketing related texts in English. It gave me the necessary self-confidence and certainty that I can work somehow in my beloved chosen profession in Australiaʼ.
With a written reference and local experience of one of Australiaʼs best-known companies in her pocket, Alexandra started to apply for jobs in Sydney and soon found a full time permanent position as a Marketing Coordinator for the German Market of a growing Australian company in the online travel industry.
Quick turn around for Sam …
Sam registered with the SMMP on 28th February 2011 and a week later was working. Sam, who is a software engineer from China, migrated to Australia with his wife in 2010. He is the third staff member the SMMP has recruited for Digital Images International www.dii.com.au, a small IT business in Rozelle, who with a handful of staff, are world leaders in Flight Information Display Systems, the computer system used in airports to display flight arrival and departure information to passengers. Sam will soon be off on his first overseas business trip, representing DII in Indonesia.
From Russia with luck…
Elena (centre in white) with her new studentsElena arrived from Russia in October 2010 and joined the Skilled Migrant Mentoring Program in January 2011. Elena was linked with a mentor and within one month had achieved her goal, commencing an English teaching job in Sydney. ‘I was very lucky to work with a real professional, Frank Storey, who helped me immensely at every stage of the job-seeking process. Under his competent guidance I have applied for numerous roles, made some valuable contacts and became much more confident in my skills and perspectives’. Frank helped Elena with information about teaching English in Sydney and suggested Elena write to all the Sydney English schools listed at the NEAS website www.neas.org.au Frank and Elena wrote a letter which Elena sent along with her CV to the Director of Studies at 50 English Schools in Sydney. Within a week, Elena had a few interviews lined up and a week later was teaching the above students at Australian Nationwide College http://www.anc.edu.au/
Coach in a league of her own …
Janice came to Australia as a skilled migrant and progressed to become a senior executive at IBM, completing the MBA en route. Janice mentored 2 skilled migrants in 2010.
Cindy is an experienced industrial marketing and technical support specialist and mother of 2. Janice leveraged her own experience as a migrant, working mother and coach to help Cindy to think through her priorities, family and career in Australia. Cindy says, “Janice’s mentoring not only helped me figure out all the confusion as an immigrant to fit my life in Australia, but also mentor my thinking and concerns to a higher level”.
Indi is an ERP technical consultant from Sri Lanka. He was able to find a job within three months of his arrival, but found adapting a new job and new life in a foreign country very challenging. Janice gave him advice in how to work and get along with his colleagues in this new environment and Indi to think positively, focusing and utilising his strengths. With Janice’s coaching help, Indi won a best employee of the month award at his workplace and achieved excellent results at a technical certification program.
In 2011 Janice has volunteered again to take a new skilled migrant mentee under her capable guidance. Janice says that she finds mentoring extremely rewarding, that helping her mentees establish themselves in Australia helps Janice learn to be a better mentor and coach.
South American pairing scores winning goal …
Jorge & EviJorge and Evi are both bilingual skilled professional migrants from South America, who share a love of soccer. Jorge, a senior software developer, arrived from Colombia in September 2010 and was matched with mentor Evi, who arrived from Peru in 1999.
Evi is a HR Consultant at Fuji Xerox Australia (FXA) who will complete her UTS Master of Business in Management in 2011. Like many skilled migrants, Jorge found it tougher than expected to find his first job in Australia. Evi was able to support Jorge to improve his English, interview skills, professional network and confidence.
Evi was able to not only provide invaluable 1:1 mentoring support but was able to find work experience for Jorge in the Office Innovation team at FXA. This work experience resulted in an offer for full time employment at FXA and was a result of Jorge’s skills, coupled with his dedication and exceptional work ethic.
Three steps to PB for Rodrigo
Rodrigo and his wife Tatiana arrived from Mexico in February 2010. Rodrigo had a Civil Engineering degree and a MBA in Natural Resources and Environmental Management, experience in commercial and industrial development, construction and project finance. Kathrin Kiel, Skilled Migrant Mentoring Project (SMMP) Coordinator supported Rodrigo overcome the barriers faced by migrants in three ways.
1. Kathrin matched Rodrigo with a mentor Marcia, a professional engineer working in the environmental field;
2. The SMMP partly funded Rodrigo to participate in the Advance Building Regulation Course at UTS;
3. Kathrin arranged work experience for Rodrigo at Parson Brinkerhoff (PB) www.pb.com.au/
After one month of work experience Rodrigo was offered a full time job at PB. Rodrigo says:
“The SMMP is a great program, thanks to them for being there in a difficult migration transition stage. Doing work experience as soon as possible is the best way to find a good job in your own field”
Liz and Kathrin help Edisson call Australia home …
Edisson and LizEdisson, a software developer from Colombia, had wanted to call Australia home since first coming here for World Youth Day. Two years later, he returned as a skilled migrant. Edisson said he expected to find a job straight away but it was not as easy as he thought. Lack of local work experience and English language were more significant barriers to employment than he had anticipated.
Fortunately, Edisson had support, ‘ I have been helped by government programs such as AMES Skillmax and the Skilled Migrant Mentoring Program (SMMP), which gave me the preparation and confidence to start my life in Sydney. I learned about Australian work culture, which is quite different to Columbia, gained local work experience and improved my communication skills’.
SMMP project Coordinator Kathrin Kiel placed Edisson in work experience at Campbelltown City Council and also matched Edisson with a vocational mentor. ‘I’m very proud of having such a great mentor, Liz, she has always been committed to helping me out and in our meetings, always comes with many useful ideas and tasks. As a result of her advice, I made some new friends and got my current job using one of the websites she recommended. I definitely recommend any migrant enrol in these programs, because they are an effective way to start your life in this country
With the support of AMES Skillmax, SMMP, Kathrin and Liz, Edisson can now truly start to call Australia home, ‘ I would like to have many friends, raise a family and have children and I know Australia is the ideal place to continue my life’.
Work Experience Windfall
Fatima Kourouche, Program Coordinator for the Skilled Migrant Mentoring Program at Liverpool and Fairfield met Ghazi Sangari, Civil & Structural Engineer from GEC Consulting by chance, during a meeting with M H Accounting to place skilled migrants for work experience in accounting roles.
After the meeting, Kabid Bin Farooque, a Civil Engineer from Bangladesh was sent to GEC for an interview to undertake 2 weeks work experience. Kabid’s qualifications and experience impressed Ghazi so much that he decided to employ him on casual basis rather than placing him in unpaid work experience.
Soon after Kabid commenced, Ghazi requested for another skilled migrant with qualifications in Architecture. Nazanin Panah who recently migrated from Iran also gained paid employment with GEC, due to her excellent experience and qualifications.
At a recent follow up meeting with Kabid, Nazanin and Ahmad Wehbe, an architect from GEC, all expressed their satisfaction at working together.
Nazanin said that undertaking a diploma in architectural technology at Ultimo TAFE helped her to gain local knowledge about the industry as there were some differences in standards. However, for Kabid, the work was very similar from a technical perspective. He was impressed with the amount of safety measures taken when working on a building site including traffic management which was something new for Kabid.
GEC is pleased with the work performance of both Nazanin and Kabid and suggested that they would be happy to employ more skilled migrants in the future.
Big Return from ATO
Michael HuangMichael (Wei) Huang, an accountant from China, enrolled in the Skilled Migrant Mentoring Program (SMMP) in April 2010 after completing the AMES Skillmax course at Surry Hills.
Skilled migrants face barriers to the Australian workforce, leading to unemployment rates 30% higher than average.
Michael needed support to overcome language and cultural barriers and also the common “Catch 22” barrier faced by skilled migrants, of having “no local work experience”.
In July SMMP Project Coordinator Kathrin Kiel placed Michael in 4 weeks work experience at the Australian Taxation Office at Parramatta. Two weeks later, Michael was offered a job at the ATO.
Making it count
Jessie joined the Skilled Migrant Mentoring Program after completing a Skillmax course at NSW AMES Burwood. A young mother with a small daughter, she had spent many months trying to juggle childcare duties with searching for employment as an accountant, without success.
However Jessie’s entry into the program at Sydney Community College was very timely, with a position opening up within the College itself for a project accountant to work on migrating the college to a new accounting system.
Within three weeks of starting in the program, Jessie was offered an opportunity to attend an interview at Sydney Community College for some paid, contract employment, and within a month of her enrolment, was offered the position.
Jessie is now working as the Sydney Community College accountant, contributing significantly to revitalising the College’s financial and accounting systems for 2011. In addition her friendly and fun attitude have made her a favourite member of the College team!
Toastmasters Training
ToastmastersIn September and October of 2010, Sydney Community College hosted a special, customised delivery of the Toastmasters International Speechcraft Training, for participants in the Skilled Migrant Mentoring Program.
Attendees learnt techniques for public speaking, communication and listening skills, engaging the audience and impromptu speaking, and had practical activities to help them build their confidence.
Program Coordinator Ursula Walker noted a huge change in participants ability in their verbal and non-verbal communication over the course of the four weeks, as well as their confidence in English conversation.
The attendees were universal in their response to the course trainer, Philip Bendeich, of Toastmasters International. All found him to be motivational, inspirational and a great example of the benefits of developing communication and public speaking skills.
Cementing the future
Niguse at Hanson PrecastNiguse arrived in Australia from Ethiopia in March of 2010, and immediately began setting about improving his employment chances with a Skillmax course at NSW AMES.
Niguse had worked as an industrial engineer for over seven years in Ethiopia primarily in the textile industry and in cement plant maintenance systems. When he joined the Skilled Migrant Mentoring Program (SMMP) at Sydney Community College, Program Coordinator Ursula Walker started researching these industries locally and approached Hanson Precast, a division of Hanson Construction Materials.
Nagesh Kanapathy, Engineering Manager at the company’s Riverstone plant, was quick to recognise Niguse’s skills and offered him a chance to undertake some unpaid work experience with the organisation.
Niguse was inducted into the company and then began learning about work in the factory, as well as doing some quality assurance work and documentation in the office. In less than six weeks of starting work experience, Hanson had offered him permanent paid employment, due to his skills, experience and motivation.
A new beginning..
Mariama and babyOne of the best SMMP success stories has been that of Alfred Sankoh, a qualified and experienced maths teacher from Sierra Leone.
Alfred had worked as a maths teacher and lecturer for both secondary and university level students in Sierra Leone, before spending two years providing counselling to war affected children and youths and reuniting them with their family members.
He also worked in compliance roles in a national statutory authority administering pension schemes, using the skills he gained from his Masters degree in Public Policy and Human Development, gained from Maastricht University in The Netherlands.
When Alfred joined his wife Mariama here in Australia, he faced significant challenges: to gain employment where he could use his maths and teaching skills, to gain citizenship so he could pursue his education goals, and to bring his three children, including his adopted niece, to Australia also.
The Skilled Migrant Mentoring Program in 2009 provided Alfred with a chance to do some unpaid work experience at Presbyterian Ladies College, Sydney (PLC Sydney), where he worked in the maths department assisting staff and also conducting classes for secondary students.
With this local experience in teaching and a reference from a well-recognised Sydney school, Alfred was able to apply for a part time role as a Community Liaison Officer at Wilkins Public School, in Sydney’s inner west. Here Alfred focused on providing support and guidance to parents from Sierra Leone so that they could assist their children with integration into the local education system.
When a position became available for Alfred to gain a full time role as a Community Information Officer he applied, and was soon working for the Department of Education in Chester Hill, servicing schools across the South-West of Sydney.
2010 proved to be an especially exciting year for Alfred and his family, as they welcomed the arrival of a new baby, not long after Alfred became a citizen and he and his wife Mariama were reunited with their other children in Sydney.
SMMP Program Coordinator Ursula Walker was invited to the naming ceremony for the Sankoh’s new daughter, and found the experience to be an exciting and enjoyable event.
“I was one of the only two ‘anglo’ people there amongst a sea of Sierra Leoneans, in full national dress. It was a very colourful and loud celebration, and I think some of the guests found it challenging to have two white people joining in to help welcome Alfred’s new daughter to the community. But I was honoured to be asked, in recognition of the assistance that I had provided to Alfred, and found many of the other guests were kind and welcoming. It was wonderful to see the family all finally together, settled and happy and with a bright future ahead of them.”
Banking on success
Clement ZhangClement arrived in Australia as a permanent resident in 2009 and despite his extensive experience in retail banking in China, he had difficulty in finding employment.
Many employers were keen on applicants who had some local work experience, but Clement was unable to gain local work experience because no one would “give him a go”.
Clement enrolled in the Skilled Migrant Mentoring Program (SMMP) at Sydney Community College in May 2010, and within three weeks was starting work experience at the Commonwealth Bank’s Eastwood branch.
Feedback from the branch manager and staff at Eastwood was excellent – something which came as no surprise to SMMP Program Coordinator, Ursula Walker.
“Right from the word go, I knew that Clement was an extremely focused, motivated and able professional and that all he would need was an opportunity to showcase his skills – no employer could resist such a friendly and enthusiastic customer service specialist…”
Upon completing four weeks of work experience, Clement applied to the Commonwealth Bank for a permanent role and was successful. In less than two months from his initial enrolment into SMMP, Clement was starting his training as a paid employee of one of the biggest banks in Australia.
With his career in Australia well under way, Clement got an added bonus – he was able to reunite in Sydney with his fiancee, and the couple married immediately – our first SMMP wedding!
Career take off for Xiang and Aree …
Aree (at right) and Xiang at Digital Images InternationalAree joined the Skilled Migrant Mentoring Program (SMMP) in 2008, one of the first participants; Xiang is one of the most recent. Both have post graduate degrees in IT and industry experience in their former countries.
Unemployment among skilled migrants is 30 per cent higher than for the population as a whole* and the SMMP provides participants with a vocational mentor, work experience and training, offering a pathway into the Australian workforce.
Aree joined before the SMMP had developed a volunteer mentor program, so Frank Storey, Manager at the college acted as her mentor. Aree had worked in the Thai car industry and Frank arranged work experience in a similar role in Sydney with IBS, a global leader in Distribution Resource Management software http://www.ibs.net/ This turned into a casual work and Aree narrowly missed out on a job at IBS when the global financial crisis hit.
Another employer with which the SMMP has developed a partnership is Digital Images International (DII) www.dii.com.au, a small IT business in Rozelle who, with a handful of staff, are world leaders in Flight Information Display Systems, the computer system used in airports to display arrivals and departures to passengers. When Bernard, the owner of DII was seeking a new staff member, Frank was quick to put Aree forward.
Two years later Bernard again contacted Frank, seeking another staff member and Xiang was placed in that role. Aree has now been employed at DII for 2 years and Xiang has just returned from a business trip with Bernard to Shanghai, seeing his nearby family for the first time since coming to Australia in February 2009.
*http://www.smh.com.au/national/joblessness-higher-among-migrants-20100831-14fnb.html
Engineering Success
The Skilled Migrant Mentoring Program (SMMP) provides mentoring, training and work experience to skilled migrants, to help them overcome barriers to employment in Australia. A partnership between Sydney Community College and The Reed Group, www.reedgroup.com.au, one of Australia’s dynamic engineering & construction companies, has been ‘engineering success’ for many skilled migrants.
Over the last twelve months, The Reed Group have provided work experience for 18 candidates. 15 skilled migrants have secured permanent or contract positions at The Reed Group either through their work experience or through direct referral from SMMP coordinators.
SMMP Alumni
Group Photo: along the back, from left to right Shara Manandhar, Jerry Cai, Nahin Rahman, Alexander Ignatov, Elena Ivanova, Florentino Santos; at the front, from left to right Nom Shah, Shahab Rad
Larisa and Katia – Migrant becomes mentor..
Larisa and KatiaKatia faced barriers to employment because of a lack of local experience, which she found very frustrating, but eventually she found her first job. It was not exactly what she wanted but a foot in the door and 2 years later Katia was well established in local market and her career was booming. As soon as Katia read the advert promoting mentoring for the Sydney Community College Skilled Migrant Mentoring Program, she knew that this is what she wanted to do; ‘I wanted to help people who were in the same situation as I had been two years ago, experiencing the same problems and trying to find answers to the same questions’.
SMMP Project Coordinator Kathrin Kiel matched Katia with Larisa, who arrived in Australia in February 2010 as a skilled migrant. Despite having over 6 years’ professional experience in Organizational Development and Human Resource Consultancy with multinational organizations in Kazakhstan, Larisa found it challenging to identify the right job in Sydney.
‘Even though I tailored my CV to positions’ requirements and practiced interviewing skills, the key issue for me was prioritizing the opportunities on a job market’.
However, discussing her background and skills with Katia, opened up some new career paths and provided structure to the job application process. ‘
Katia and I had a similar background and job search experience in Australia and Katia’s professional achievements inspired me not to give up and concentrate on my goals. The most important thing is that my mentor’s style was very collaborative and supportive since she helped me to point out my strengths when applying for a particular position. I also admired Katia’s coaching style, which was her respectful approach towards my experience. Even though some of my career ambitions did not seem to be realistic for a start, she never criticized my ideas. However, she shared her knowledge and relevant examples that made me understand employers’ expectations and become more creative in my job search. We worked out the list of my skills that would be competitive and matched them with current job opportunities in my field. We also used some sample job ads to practice my cover letter writing skills and discuss job interview scenarios.
With Katia’s mentoring, Larisa was offered a position of Training Coordinator. ‘I have been for a month in this job already and enjoy the development opportunities it gives me for the future. This position combines various aspects of project coordination and at the same time gives me an idea of Australian accredited training. I also have a chance to communicate to clients, students and trainers open a daily basis that never lets me a chance to be bored’.
In Skilled Migrant Mentoring Program, both mentee and mentor enjoy the rewards. According to Katia;
I find this mentor-mentee relationship very rewarding, because you get to know other people, you start seeing the world through their eyes and this expands your view on ordinary things. I also enjoy the success of my mentee-it is very pleasant to see that they are using the knowledge I am giving them in resume writing, interview techniques, career planning and this helps them to find their first local job. Coming to a new country is an exciting but difficult process, so by sharing my experience with the mentee I show them that the most important thing is not to get desperate, set the goals and making your best to achieve them and keep faith in yourself no matter what the circumstances are’.
Engineering New Futures
Paul and ArashArash arrived as a skilled migrant from Iran in March 2010, with a BA in Civil Engineering and MSc in Construction Management, experience in project management in major civil/infrastructure projects in Iran, Bangladesh & Dubai and a strong desire to succeed. His wife and young son were arriving in May. Fatima Kourouche, Skilled Migrant mentoring Project Coordinator for Fairfield & Liverpool matched Arash with mentor Paul, a professional engineer who graduated in engineering from University of Western Sydney.
Skilled Migrant Mentoring Project Coordinator Ursula Walker arranged for Arash to have an interview at The Reed Group and in July 2010 Arash was offered a full time job. Arash says the SMMP is very practical for migrants starting a professional life in Australia and that Paul helped him gain knowledge of the local business environment and become aware of the gaps in skills and knowledge of which prevent skilled migrants finding a job in Australia. As Paul says ‘the mentor program is not just about sharing trade specific experience. It’s also about embracing and adapting to the Australian work culture and way of life … it’s about sharing cultural experiences such as following the footy, going to the beach or enjoying the great Aussie BBQ. It’s through learning these soft skills that I believe will add most value on a personal level and in the work place’
Engineering Success
Kathrin Kiel and AlanAlan Cavenagh, a retired engineer with 40 years senior management experience in the rail industry, first worked alongside migrants when training as a cadet engineer in the 60s. ‘This gave me an early introduction to migrants at work and their great contribution to Australia’.
This year the Sydney Community College Skilled Migrant Mentoring Program (SMMP) aims to provide over 200 Sydney based skilled migrants with vocational mentors and work experience. Up to 50% of our clients are currently from an engineering background, which has led to a significant demand for engineering mentors and work experience.
Thanks to Alan’s help with CVs, goal setting, Australian workplace culture and interviews, two of Alan’s mentees have found an engineering job and one has returned to University to take a higher qualification.
‘I have found the mentoring a very rewarding and enjoyable experience. Without exception I have enjoyed meeting new people from different cultures who are facing huge challenges in finding a new job
and starting a new life in a strange and different culture. As a retired engineer, it is good to be able to use my experience and knowledge to help other engineers’.
Phoenix’s story – in her own words..
Phoenix at her new job“As a migrant from a non-English speaking country, it’s quite usual to be rejected by an Australian employer in the early time after arriving in Sydney. For people with a marketing background like me, it’s even more difficult as marketing professionals have never been in demand in the Australian market.
I had been trying for months and months to get a foot in the door. When I heard about SMMP I didn’t really believe it would actually work. A few weeks after I enrolled online I was interviewed and felt hopeful and excited by both the well organised structure of the program and the encouragement from the program coordinator. Two weeks later I started a work experience placement at ACER Computer Australia. At ACER I was given the opportunity to assist in telemarketing, a customer loyalty program and marketing/communications.
Luckily a week later a job became available at the company. After considering all the applicants, I was offered the job! Thanks to Ursula (program coordinator) and SMMP I had an opportunity to show the employer that I can do the job as well as anyone else. And I’ve been enjoying learning new things at ACER.
If you are a new migrant like me and facing the difficulty in finding a formal job related to your qualifications and experience, I would highly recommend you enrol in SMMP. This is a program designed for you and you will be surprised by the results!
A mentor’s guidance helps a young family..
Brian and James TsaiJames Tsai, a software engineer and father of two young girls, arrived with his wife as a skilled migrant from China in May 2009 and was naturally feeling a little disorientated in the new culture.
James was matched with mentor Brian Bowman and by November had a job in IT technical support.
Brian, who is now retired, has over 40 years experience in the IT industry and met with James every Monday. He reviewed James’ CV and associated documentation and helped him to set goals.
Brian passed on much needed knowledge about Australian business, political, social and workplace culture, the recruitment practices and structure of the IT industry. Brian is keen to praise James’ strong work ethic, his enthusiasm and positive approach, and believe these helped him through some periods of significant disappointment.
Brian also says that the learning wasn’t all one way: “I enjoyed helping but also enjoyed learning about James’ culture”.
James highlights the importance of having a mentor in maintaining resilience in challenging times: “Brian was always there and also helped me mentally to get through hard situations so that I could always get back on track”.
James is now in a position to reunite his young family in Sydney and continues to meet Brian as a friend.
Perfect mentoring match..
Vanessa and mentor ChrisMentor Chris Dunwell, a HR professional with many years senior experience in household name multinationals was matched with mentee Vanessa Sanpin in July 2009, five months after Vanessa and her partner arrived from France.
Chris and Vanessa have postgraduate business qualifications, specialise in HR and are also both migrants. Chris came here 16 years ago from the UK where he had volunteered for a range of charitable organisations including teaching English to migrants. Chris and Vanessa were a perfect mentoring match. According to Vanessa,
‘It was a wonderful opportunity to have Chris as a mentor, we met regularly and he supported me in my first year in the Australian workplace, giving me information about Australia, the culture and the workplace, advising me on my resume, the expectations of the recruitment agencies and lots of things. As brand new to Sydney, enrolling this mentoring program and having Chris as a Mentor was important and helpful. Also, Chris is senior in HR and has got a very good sense of humour. The Program is finished but we are going to keep in touch. Thank you to Chris and to the Sydney Community College!’
Muhammad enters the job market..
Muhammad enjoys SydneyMuhammad was studying “Skills for Work and Training” at Bankstown TAFE and heard about the Skilled Migrant Mentoring Program from his teacher, Vivienne.
Muhammad has great IT skills but had been finding it hard to convince employers to “give him a go”. Once he was enrolled in the Skilled Migrant Mentoring Program, Sydney Community College found Muhammad some work experience at a large computer manufacturer, and he got a chance to make contacts within the company and find out about an upcoming project due to start.
Muhammad interviewed for work on the project and was offered a short contract. Within a few weeks of enrolling with the college, he had not only had an unpaid work experience placement but had also found some paid work with a large and respected organisation, which will help him to apply for other contract and permanent positions in the future.
“I really thank you for helping me to get this work experience opportunity. I really appreciate the Skilled Migrant Mentoring Program and hope through this program more and more skilled migrants will find a job successfully and quickly in their own fields.
I am thankful especially to Ms Vivienne (Bankstown TAFE) and Ms Ursula Walker (Sydney Community College) for their efforts to provide me with this work experience opportunity and for having helped me to enter the Australian job market.”
Dilakshan’s story – in his own words.
Dilakshan Tampoe“With my professional background and work experience overseas, it was very frustrating trying to get my ‘foot in the door’, until I got to know about the Sydney Community College’s Skilled Migrant Mentoring Program.
I must say their volunteer placements are an excellent way of fighting this myth of ‘Australian work experience’. The program gives you an opportunity to display your talent and build your self confidence during this period of transition.
Today SMMP has helped me to see the light at the end of the tunnel, and kick start my career, giving me the opportunity to work toward my ambitions.”
Dilakshan Tampoe – Manager, Marketing and Business Development
Skilled Migrant Mentoring Program Participant 2009
SMMP gives Sam some valuable local knowledge..
Sam the engineerSam has some excellent skills in civil engineering and estimating but was struggling to get interviews for jobs without local work experience on his resume.
Sydney Community College’s Skilled Migrant Mentoring Program team arranged for Sam to undertake some work experience at a large civil engineering and construction firm and Sam found that although he missed out on a contract position with them, the experience still taught him a great deal.
Sam was also very proactive and motivated in his jobseeking activities, building a professional profile online and researching the engineering sector to locate areas of skills need and organisations that required estimators. He contacted several companies directly, rather than through recruitment agencies and ads, and his approach proved to be a winning one.
Only four and a half months after arriving in Australia, Sam managed to get a great job as an estimator and is now keen to share the secrets of his success with others.
“I’m writing to express my deepest thanks for putting me in your work experience program in The Reed Group. It was a very good chance for me to prove my abilities. I got familiar with Australia’s most famous software in estimation called Build Soft-Global Estimating which is very important to be able to work with in here. I also got familiar with tendering process of Australia.”
Ruby starts a business
RubyRuby came to Australia with lots of experience in marketing, administration and customer service, but her professional qualifications were actually in Chinese/English translation and Economics.
Ruby found it difficult to work out how she could use her skills here in Australia, especially since she needed direction and some local workplace knowledge.
Sydney Community College found a mentor for Ruby who helped her work out how she could pull together all of her experience and knowledge and use it to create a new career for herself.
Through the Skilled Migrant Mentoring Program, the college also arranged for Ruby to undertake some work experience in the marketing department of a large local organisation, so that she could develop a better understanding of business practices here in Australia.
In the end, Ruby decided to start her own business providing translation services in Chinese/English.
“I have finished my work experience with ACER. It was a good place to understand the local office culture and get hands-on skills for office work.
My experience with my mentor has been very enjoyable and constructive. I have started my own business now in translation. Thank you for matching me so nice a mentor!”
How SMMP helped Farhad…
Farhad at the RTA
Farhad is an engineer with a Masters degree in Electrical Engineering and sound experience as designer of building electrical services.
Despite 15 years experience in calculation, design, documentation and construction supervision of various types of projects, Farhad had been struggling to find any kind of employment here in Australia.
He was finding it very disappointing that he had applied for many jobs but was always turned down, despite having exactly the right skills and experience.
Sydney Community College found Farhad some work experience at the Roads and Traffic Authority in their Intelligent Transport Systems unit and the kind staff of fellow engineers spent time mentoring and helping Farhad as well as providing him with some real work where he could use his skills.
After spending some at the RTA working in a voluntary role, Farhad was offered a contract position in the organisation. However around the same time a permanent position with another company became available, and Farhad eventually decided to accept this permanent employment.
“I believe my work experience in RTA has a great impact on my job seeking process and it was one of the main attraction of my resume for other employers.
I wish to thank you (Ursula), and the Community College for providing me this opportunity.
Also I wish to thank Stuart (RTA) for his great support for me during my work experience.”
Arezoo gets a job..
Arezoo and Peter Ware at NuplexArezoo came to Australia and within a few shorts months had found herself a permanent job in the company of her choice. How? Through the Skilled Migrant Mentoring Program.
When Arezoo arrived from Iran as a chemical engineer, she enrolled in the Skilled Migrant Mentoring Program with Sydney Community College. Arezoo had already done a lot of research on companies in Sydney who could use her skills in the manufacture of resins and paints, and had located two organisations that she wanted to work for.
Sydney Community College approached both employers and asked them to arrange unpaid work experience for Arezoo – and one agreed. Arezoo did two weeks work experience with Nuplex Industries at Botany, and impressed them with how motivated and experienced she was.
Arezoo applied for a position in the organisation during the course of her work experience and after being interviewed, was offered the position!
“Thank you very much for your help for getting me this work experience. The first day was just great. I have already told many of my friends to get in touch with you for getting local job experiences.”
How the Skilled Migrant Mentoring Program worked for Ada..
AdaAda arrived in Australia with excellent qualifications and experience as a high school IT teacher. She had also worked in technical support positions. She eventually managed to find some part time work in a supermarket, but wanted to get employment that was more appropriate to her skills.
Ada approached Sydney Community College about the Skilled Migrant Mentoring Program, funded by NSW AMES and the Dept of Education. Once she was enrolled in the program, Sydney Community College set about trying to find her some work experience that would give her some exposure to a workplace where she could use her IT skills.
The Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) agreed to host Ada for some work experience in their IT technical support department, however Ada found that her current employer was not keen on allowing her to take time off to take advantage of the opportunity. Eventually however, Ada was able to start her work experience, and impressed SBS with her skills, hard work and dedication.
While she was at SBS, a position became available there and Ada applied for the role. A week after finishing work experience Ada was asked to attend an interview and a few days later was offered the job.
“I really thank you for helping me get this work experience opportunity. I really appreciate the Skilled Migrant Mentoring Program and hope more and more skilled migrant can find a job successfully and quickly. I really don’t know how to thank you for all you have helped for me!”
