[CDU eNews] - REFUGEES ENTER DARWIN WORKFORCE THANKS TO CDU

[Peter.Hurt at cdu.edu.au]

Refugees polish up their skills

Refugees from war-torn African countries are taking their first bold steps
towards entering the Australian workforce thanks to a program at Charles
Darwin University that combines time in the classroom with hands-on work
experience.

Lecturer Dominic Manning said the students, part of a growing African
community in Darwin, were working towards a Certificate II in Asset
Maintenance (Cleaning Operations).

"These are people who have little or no experience in an Australian
workplace," Mr Manning said.
"Most have little experience with machinery, but through this course they
are developing skills using state-of-the-art equipment.

"The main focus is not just on the mechanics of cleaning, but also on the
broader aspects of how to get a job, learning how to help themselves and
what an employer expects in the workplace.

"Part of the course includes unpaid work at the Royal Darwin Hospital and
Casuarina Shopping Centre; some of them have actually now got jobs as a
result of this course.

"Cleaning is not as easy as it sounds, either. For instance, RDH imposes
extremely rigorous controls."

The course involves two four-hour classroom sessions per month. About 12
people - most of them mature-age - successfully completed the course last
year and 22 students are doing the course this year.

"Some of these people were in professional positions in their home
countries," Mr Manning said, "and most of them have come to Australia with
their wives or husbands and children."

The program is an initiative of the Department of Employment, Education and
Training, with funds provided under the national Australians Working
Together Program.

Lecturer Jill Kaye said: "Most of the students are also enrolled in the
Adult Migrant English Program at Charles Darwin University, working towards
a certificate in spoken and written English."



Dominic Manning and Jill Kaye are available for interview


Peter Hurt
Media Manager
Charles Darwin University
Tel: 08 8946 6019 or 0438 466 439

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