Employment help for refugees in New Zealand
2 September 2014
New Zealand Red Cross has launched an employment service to help former refugees find work.
Tue, 2 Sep 2014
New Zealand Red Cross has launched an employment service to help former refugees find work.
Pathways to Employment, a nationwide work assistance service, will not only benefit the former refugees but employers and the wider community, a statement from the aid organisation said.
It quoted Naing Naing Tun, who fled Myanmar (Burma) six years ago, as saying finding a job was key to starting his life in New Zealand, but that it was difficult to do on his own.
“I had experience cooking so I did a culinary course, but then it was hard getting a job, I had no community, contacts or references.”
Tony Paine, secretary general of New Zealand Red Cross, said: “Employment is empowering. It gives these new New Zealanders an opportunity to contribute to the community that they now call home.
“Former refugees are ordinary people who have faced extraordinary conditions. Unfortunately in New Zealand many find themselves struggling to get that crucial first job, or they find themselves stuck in casual jobs which don’t allow them to support their family. This service isn’t just about getting the many work, it is about helping them to find sustainable employment that uses their skills and abilities.”
The launch follows a successful pilot programme run in two cities which saw 49 people come off unemployment benefits, effectively saving the government NZ$6m (£3m), based on the average amount of time, between eight and 11 years, people spend on a benefit.
The programme, with government funding, aims to work with 450 people a year, mostly in the North Island.
New Zealand Red Cross has launched an employment service to help former refugees find work.
Pathways to Employment, a nationwide work assistance service, will not only benefit the former refugees but employers and the wider community, a statement from the aid organisation said.
It quoted Naing Naing Tun, who fled Myanmar (Burma) six years ago, as saying finding a job was key to starting his life in New Zealand, but that it was difficult to do on his own.
“I had experience cooking so I did a culinary course, but then it was hard getting a job, I had no community, contacts or references.”
Tony Paine, secretary general of New Zealand Red Cross, said: “Employment is empowering. It gives these new New Zealanders an opportunity to contribute to the community that they now call home.
“Former refugees are ordinary people who have faced extraordinary conditions. Unfortunately in New Zealand many find themselves struggling to get that crucial first job, or they find themselves stuck in casual jobs which don’t allow them to support their family. This service isn’t just about getting the many work, it is about helping them to find sustainable employment that uses their skills and abilities.”
The launch follows a successful pilot programme run in two cities which saw 49 people come off unemployment benefits, effectively saving the government NZ$6m (£3m), based on the average amount of time, between eight and 11 years, people spend on a benefit.
The programme, with government funding, aims to work with 450 people a year, mostly in the North Island.
