Migrant and refugee work experience programme a success
25 January 2007
Seventeen migrants and refugees can proudly add New Zealand work experience to their CVs after completing a Wellington City Council work experience programme.
The programme, run in conjunction with Work and Income New Zealand, Wellington, and the Ministry of Social Development, placed recent immigrants in suitable temporary roles created for them within the Council for 12 months’ work experience.
Many of them had double degrees and ten to 15 years’ experience in their field, but had had trouble gaining suitable work since arriving in New Zealand, says the Council’s work experience programme coordinator Amanda Golding. All had been in New Zealand less than five years.
“They would apply for jobs and be told, 'You look great on paper, thanks for applying – but you don’t have New Zealand work experience'.” These were statements people would hear over and over again, Golding says.
Through Ethnic Forums run by Wellington City Council it was identified that something was needed to help migrants and refugees access work.
The work experience programme has exceeded expectations, Golding says. Although 15 places were offered initially, some of the participants were able to move on to other work before finishing the programme, so another four were able to take their places. “We’re very proud of what the participants have achieved,” Golding says.
During the course, participants were helped with things they had had difficulty with, such as telephone skills. They also attended a course in Plain English to bridge the gap between the often technical knowledge of book-learned English, and the way it is actually spoken. “There was a lot of language training. We addressed all sorts of issues both in a group setting and individually. The migrants learned first aid and stayed on a marae, "to get an insight into Maori culture ”. They also undertook work-related training if needed. Some trained in accounting systems such as Mind Your Own Business (MYOB), and others earned an HT licence.
The Council found roles for participants across a wide range of its activities – everything from libraries to quarries. “That’s the great benefit of doing it within the Council – it has such varied work opportunities.
“Making contacts is such a big part of getting a job. Now they all have NZ references and referees, and they have support job-hunting, preparing CVs and cover letters.”
The benefits for the Council have been enormous, Golding says. “It wasn’t that hard to do, and what the Council got out of it was amazing. Not just the work but the reflection of different cultures, especially for frontline roles. People need to see somebody behind a counter that understands how they think, that has some empathy for how they feel. Migrants bring a different way of thinking.
“The migrants I’ve come to know are such a bonus in the work environments and I think they bring a lot to the job. Overlooking people because of their nationality or ethnicity means we’re missing out.”
Wellington City Council Migrant and Refugee Work Experience Programme.
- There have been some changes since last year, which was the first year of the programme.
- The programme offers 12-month full-time work experience placements at Wellington City Council.
- This year there is funding for ten places
- Last year 96 people applied and 19 were accepted.This year, applicants must have been in New Zealand less than five years
- Participants are paid approximately $480 a week less tax.
- Work experience will start at the end of January 2007
- Applications and CVs must be received by November 30 2006
- The programme does not guarantee a job
- The Programme Coordinator and Work and Income NZ will work with participants to move into employment or further study.
Migrant Experiences
Shu Huang came to New Zealand with 10 years’ experience as a lawyer in China. Arriving in 2002, he completed a Masters of Laws degree at Victoria University of Wellington, in preparation for working here.
Despite his excellent command of English, two years of rejection followed. Huang was granted only two job interviews out of the 60 jobs for which he applied.
Huang said it was very frustrating, especially as he believed he was realistic about the kind of jobs he applied for, which were mainly administrative. “I never applied to be a lawyer or a manager or team leader. I knew I had to start from square one.”
“Employers want you to have experience working in New Zealand, but how can you get this unless they give you a job? We really want to contribute to this society. We should be treated more fairly.”
The Wellington City Council’s Migrant and Refugee Work Experience programme gave him the help he needed to get the necessary experience. He regained the confidence he lost looking for a job, he said.
Following on from his work experience with the City Council, Huang got a job as a Court Registrar Officer with the Ministry of Justice.
Chinese-born Shufen Lu had 25 years’ experience working at the University library in Shanghai, but her attempts to find library work in New Zealand were unsuccessful.
Employers would tell her, “you can’t get this job”, or simply not reply at all, Shufen says. Eventually she got work as a cleaner in a hotel and as a kitchenhand in a Chinese restaurant. “I needed to do something, not just sit at home. Two months later I also helped my husband in his piano tuning business.”
Shufen had applied for the Migrant and Refugee Work Experience Programme but there was no place for her until in June this year one of the participants left to take up permanent employment. Shufen was delighted.
“It’s great! I can get a job! The staff are very friendly, very helpful. I learn lots.”
Shufen found some of the library systems different from what she was used to in China, and also the variety of work she was expected to do. “In China you just do one thing, like book-mending.” She also thinks libraries here are very good for children. “There it’s very quiet and you can’t talk. Here there’s story time twice a week, and school visits.”
One little girl who comes in weekly to borrow DVDs is also Chinese, and she finds it a great relief to have a librarian who can speak her language. “She said, ‘do you speak Chinese too?’ She had only been here half year and she couldn’t speak English. She asked if I could help her and I showed her how to use the self check – she was afraid that if she did it wrong she would set off the alarm!”
Shufen says the programme has improved her language skills. “My English has been getting better while I am doing this job.”
When she finishes the programme, Shufen hopes she will be able to get a permanent job, and she credits the programme for making it a realistic hope. “If you didn’t help me I couldn’t get a job, because if they want staff they always want Kiwis. But this programme has been good for improving confidence. I always say, ‘Thank you very much’.”
Find out more about the Wellington City Council’s Migrant and Refugee Programme.