Twenty-six local people who participated in Sunshine Coast Council’s popular Migrant Work Ready and Business Ready programs have graduated and are ready to put their skills to work.
A special graduation ceremony took place today (11 November) at TAFE Queensland’s Mooloolaba campus, where graduates had the opportunity to network with local businesses and use their newfound knowledge to land a new job. job and launch their business ideas.
The eight-week work readiness program, now in its fifth year, has helped 120 people from multicultural backgrounds improve their prospects of finding employment on the Sunshine Coast through work readiness workshops, mentoring and networking opportunities.
The Business Ready program, now in its second year, has helped 15 people develop their business ideas.
This year’s programs included residents who came to our Sunshine Coast from Papua New Guinea, the Middle East, China, North America, Latin America, Thailand, Taiwan, India, Vietnam, Nepal and Hungary.
Mayor of Sunshine Coast Council Mark Jamieson congratulated all participants for their determination and hard work.
“Today we had the opportunity to recognize the achievements of our 26 graduates, who are now ‘work ready’ and ‘business ready’ and excited to demonstrate how their knowledge, skills, culture, relationships and their experience can add value to the economy and our community,” said Mayor Jamieson.
“Our Sunshine Coast is an increasingly diverse community – a community that is home to many people who enrich our culture by choosing to call this region home.
“Programs like Migrant Work Ready and Business Ready help show businesses how to embrace diversity and inclusion, help build social and economic opportunity, and truly align with our vision to be the most sustainable region in Australia – healthy, smart and creative.
“We know that many companies across industries have struggled to find staff lately, and I would tell them that here are 26 potential employees ready to start.
“Many of the participants in this year’s programs have already brought with them a range of skills and experience in their chosen fields.
“Key elements of this program include learning about Australian working culture, writing a great CV and how to make a lasting impression in an interview or networking opportunity.
“Congratulations to all of our graduates for this important milestone. I wish them every success.
Osama (Sam) Jamran migrated to the Sunshine Coast eight months ago from Saudi Arabia where he lived for three decades as an expatriate from Syria. The civil engineer said he was really grateful for the Migrant Work Ready program.
“My wife told me about the program and I didn’t want to do it at first, but week after week the program reassured me that I had made the right decision,” Mr Jamran said.
“The rich program covered everything from local job market awareness, interview preparation, CV writing, public speaking education and much more.
“Knowledge is a precious thing, especially when you come to a new country and need someone to show you the way. This program helped me in many ways and gave me the knowledge I needed.
“I would absolutely recommend this program to other migrant residents in the future.”
TAFE Queensland (East Coast Region) Managing Director Ana Rodger said the training provider prides itself on helping migrants make the most of the opportunities available to them on the Sunshine Coast and the Beyond that, by helping participants develop their English skills.
“TAFE Queensland is already helping migrants from across the state who are new to Australia to connect with their communities through our Adult Migrant English Program – a program funded by the Australian Government’s Department of Home Affairs that offers free English lessons,” Ms Rodger says.
“So naturally, we were grateful for the opportunity to get involved and support the delivery of this valuable program.”
The Migrant Work Ready program is just one part of the board’s commitments to advancing the goals of the Sunshine Coast Community Strategy 2019-2041.
The Council is proud to offer the program in partnership with Sunshine Coast Council, Nambour Community Centre, Maroochydore Chamber of Commerce, TAFE Queensland, Volunteering Sunshine Coast and Sunshine Coast Chamber Alliance Business Mentor Program.
