PERTH – atWork Australia, part of the Work Health Group, recently hosted the Career Pathway Pilot for Refugees launch on March 21st at the Mount Lawley Golf Club.
Organisational Excellence Manager of atWork Australia, Claire Baker, said the official launch was a wonderful opportunity to showcase the Career Pathway Pilot for Refugees which supports and guides newly arrived humanitarian entrants in pursuing meaningful career pathways in Australia.
“This program is addressing the gap for refugees as they are faced numerous challenges trying to get a foot in the employment door,” said Ms Baker.
The successful launch was attended by more than 70 representatives from community organisations, government and local councils, key employers and the Career Pathway participants.
Guests were inspired by key speakers, Magd Nana and Roqia Sajadi, participants from the program who have successfully gained employment in their career pathway. Both participants spoke about their experience since arriving in Australia and expressed gratitude for connecting with the program.
“Nexia is delighted with the positive outcome of employing Roqia and encourages employers to engage in the Career Pathway Pilot as an opportunity to foster workplace diversity,” said Human Capital Manager, Solvita Bleiere who also presented at the launch.
Jacqui Luff, atWork Australia’s Career Pathway Coordinator said employing people from refugee backgrounds can have great benefits for employers, including improving the productivity of the business and promoting cultural awareness.
Australian Red Cross representative, Assadullah Khurrami, was invited as a guest speaker outlining his journey as a humanitarian entrant to Australia and the reward of finding meaningful employment.
“At the heart of what we do is the belief that employment transforms lives, not only the lives of individuals, but also the lives of their family and friends and the communities they live in, and the success stories from our program reflect this,” Ms Luff said.
The launch aligned with Harmony Day, which celebrates diversity, inclusiveness, respect and belonging, all of which feature in atWork Australia’s core values.
The Work Health Group is guided by its mission to optimise work and life participation for people with injury, illness, disability and disadvantage and is proud to deliver services and events such as the launch, that support people from all backgrounds and cultures to build better lives through meaningful work and build stronger communities.