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A new program by a Not For Profit organisation, Ignite Potential, has been designed to help newly arrived skilled migrants find work and settle and integrate in Australia.

For many skilled migrants, finding work in their industry or field has been an uphill task.

A recent report, Australia’s Skilled Migration Program: Scarce Skills Not Required by Bob Birrell states that many occupations like accounting and engineering on the Skilled Occupations Lists are in oversupply and therefore most recently arrived skilled migrants to Australia have not found professional jobs.

Other career experts have attributed this to a lack of knowledge of the job market and lacking cultural competence to fit into the work culture.

 



 

But now a new program – ‘Onboarding and Mentoring’ designed by Ignite Potential, a not for profit organisation in Darwin, Northern Territory, aimed at specifically helping skilled migrants, is set to change this.

“People struggle to find work. And then in desperateness, give up hope to find work in their field based on their qualifications and end up doing odd jobs,” says Sulal Mathai, one of the founders of Ignite Potential.

“We saw a gap in the support services provided to newly-arrived skilled visa holders and came up with this new program where we induct them into the Australian way of life, help them find work and provide cultural competence training to them,” he adds.

The new program is provided in the form of workshops, training and mentorship and is open to everyone.

“Skilled migrants in Darwin who have arrived in 2019 will be able to avail this program free of cost, made possible by Federal Government’s Fostering Integration Grant of $50,000,” Mr Mathai says.

“Some aspects of the program can be availed by international students too.”

At a Glance:

Target participants: Newly arriving skilled migrants in Darwin region
Aim: The vision is to assist migrants professionally in the provision of settlement, employment, training, social enterprise opportunities and establish their life to integrate well into Australian socio economic and civic life.
Organisations involved: Ignite Potential Inc
Location: Darwin and Palmerston
Funding: Fostering Integration grant

Description:

Finding work as a skilled migrant can be a challenging task in Australia and can take several months. But for participants of Ignite Potential, a Darwin based NFP, it was a different experience.

1.Onboarding (7 hrs) – One day program covering all tools of trade for smooth transition to settlement as a skilled migrant. Various topics such as the following will be covered during this session.
– Creating your personal brand

– Job search and applying for a job

– Establishing your network in a new country

– Writing your resume to win an interview

– Australian Qualifications to look for if required

– Understanding culture and how to fit in a new workplace

– What successful people do differently

– What do Australian employers think and expect of their staff

– Volunteering

2.Cultural competence training (5 hrs) – SBS Cultural Competence program for gaining cultural competency
The Cultural Competence Program (CCP) is an online training course aimed at building capability around cultural diversity in the workplace in Australia. The program explores topics including cross-cultural communication, addressing stereotypes, unconscious bias, diversity in the workplace, and enhance understanding about the benefits of multiculturalism to Australia.

3.Three months ongoing mentoring support. (5 hrs) – Experienced mentors providing career coaching
This is a one-on-one coaching service. It helps migrants to gain confidence and understand the right way to prepare themselves and reach out to employers or businesses for a career start.

“8 of those 11 participants have found jobs in their profession within a month after the three month program,” says Sulal Mathai, one of the founders of Ignite Potential.’

Ignite collaborated with a number of partners such as Australian Red cross, FairWork Ombudsman, Treeti Consulting – Entrepreneurship facilitators and Industry leaders which ensures that the program offers a ‘one stop shop’ for all the information required to know by a new migrant in Australia.

“That’s a 73% per cent success rate. If we continue delivering this program, it can help other migrants find work and help them settle smoothly in regional areas, says Mr Mathai. “And we can easily replicate this model across Australia.”

This free program was made possible by the Federal Government’s Fostering Integration Grant of $50,000. Ignite Potential presented their approach and outcomes at the FECCA Conference held at Hobart in October 2019.



For more information visit:

info@ignitepotential.org.au

www.ignitepotential.org.au

Sulal Mathai

Project Director 0426065677

Original Article: Ignite Potential- Onboarding and mentoring program

Sulal hosts Career Australia program in M4 TV and share his learnings and interactions with industry leaders and migrant professionals on how to land in your dream career in Australia



Episodes in M4TV, with our Director, Mr. Sulal Mathai related to different aspects of Careers in Australia. Subscribe for more videos. Hit the like button. Contact us at 9562823822 for more info.

Sulal hosts Career Australia program in M4 TV and share his learnings and interactions with industry leaders and migrant professionals on how to land in your dream career in Australia



Episodes in M4TV, with our Director, Mr. Sulal Mathai related to different aspects of Careers in Australia. Subscribe for more videos. Hit the like button. Contact us at 9562823822 for more info.

Sulal hosts Career Australia program in M4 TV and share his learnings and interactions with industry leaders and migrant professionals on how to land in your dream career in Australia



Episodes in M4TV, with our Director, Mr. Sulal Mathai related to different aspects of Careers in Australia. Subscribe for more videos. Hit the like button. Contact us at 9562823822 for more info.