Local Campsie organisation reducing barriers to migrant employment

Metro Assist, a not-for-profit organisation offering migrant community services, have received a $23,000 donation from Canterbury League Club to help newly migrated women settle in Sydney and find local employment.

Despite having the qualifications, migrant women can face additional employment challenges such as language barriers, lack of local work experience or limited understanding of local workplace culture.

To help women overcome these difficulties, Metro Assist founded their Women’s Job Club (WJC) program in September 2021 which provides a safe and supportive environment for women to discuss employment issues and support one another. Participants meet monthly for a 3-hour workshop where topics related to vocational training and employment are discussed by an expert facilitator.

“We’ve had positive feedback from our participants and they have thoroughly enjoyed these sessions,” said April Pan, Settlements and Employment Program Manager at Metro Assist.

One anonymous WJC participant said: “I am glad that I got to meet people who are in the same situation as myself. This is a wonderful program for migrants like myself and I hope more women take advantage of services like these to help set themselves up in Australia.”

Another participant said: “I was struggling to find a job in Australia even though I could speak English well and I have a good educational background. What I lacked was experience in the Australian working environment and I didn’t know how to make a good resume. However, thanks to the workshops at the WJC, I have a clearer image of what to expect and how to prepare myself. I am now proud to secure a career as a consultant.”

“Australia is built on the hard work of many migrants, and we are proud to support the WJC program and Metro Assist’s other complimentary employment initiative, Dress for Work,” said Peter Winchester, Chairman of Canterbury League Club.