Single, lost and desperate, Harsimran turned to an 'employment mentor'

Despite facing significant barriers, Harsimran was able to get a job after receiving personalised support. (Supplied) Link copiedShareShare articleAfter moving cities to Melbourne in 2023, domestic violence survivor and single mother Harsimran faced big challenges finding work. Harsimran, a pseudonym, had only recently come to Australia from India. "At first I was struggling," she told ABC News. "As a single parent and a new person of a new country, it is very difficult. And at that time, my English is also not good." Harsimran felt lost and uncertain about the future. She had no real qualifications and only a high school education, no family support and was renting a single room in a Melbourne share house with her teenage son. AMES provided Harsimran with an "employment mentor". (Supplied) However, with some assistance to address her specific needs, she was able to avoid falling into the trap of long-term unemployment. AMES Australia — a government-funded agency that helps refugees and other migrants — assigned Harsimran an "employment mentor" who helped her get a driving licence, English lessons and an interest-free loan from NGO Good Shepherd to buy a car. AMES also helped her find a job as a cleaner which, thanks to her strong work ethic, progressed to a production role. Specialist settlement and CALD community services providers now hope more jobseekers like Harsimran from diverse backgrounds, who face unique barriers, will soon be able to receive "tailored" support to get into the workforce, with hopes that could improve productivity and lead to other benefits. Under the proposal, unemployed Australians seeking assistance would be placed into three tailored support tiers The federal government last month announced a "once-in-a-generation reform" to Australia's employment services system, Workforce Australia. Under the revamped system, jobseekers will be given "tailored" employment plans following an assessment process and triaged into three tiers: "We are determined to get more Australians into work and to do that we need to move beyond a one-size-fits-all approach to employment," said Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations Amanda Rishworth. Amanda Rishworth says the new changes will lead to a more responsive and effective system. (ABC News: Matt Roberts) Eric Harper is the executive general manager for service delivery at not-for-profit organisation Settlement Services International (SSI), which provides employment and other services to diverse communities across New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland. Mr Harper said his organisation and the communities it worked with had long called for the government to have a more personalised approach to jobseekers. He said refugees and people from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities often had to overcome unique barriers including a lack of language skills and professional networks, work experience recognition, and discrimination. The federal government has proposed changes to Australia's $2 billion employment services system. "It's very difficult for them to be serviced through the mainstream system in a culturally responsive way, in language, taking into account customs, religion and supporting them to navigate those local workplace systems, which are obviously novel to them," he said. Support could range from language classes, to assistance enrolling in education, mentoring or help setting up a small business. Mr Harper said people from diverse communities had a lot to offer and there would be "tremendous benefits" in getting more into appropriate work. He said skilled workers in sectors including construction and care were in high demand. "There are, and there will be, many opportunities to activate citizens, new Australians, refugees [and other people] who are already here through just a little more specialised support to be able to contribute," he said. "That would be an incredible feat and is especially important for our growth." AMES delivers employment services through both the IEA program and Workforce Australia as a specialist refugee, CALD and Indigenous employment support provider. (ABC News: Ashleigh Barraclough) He said the benefits went beyond economic productivity. Melinda Collinson, chief executive of AMES Australia, echoed SSI's support of the changes. Ms Collinson said AMES had seen how specialist services, embedded in the mainstream service, could improve employment outcomes. "We welcome the move because it will create more flexible and individually tailored pathways to employment, especially for groups of people with significant barriers," she said. "We also recognise the value of employment programs that are community-based, culturally sensitive and tailored to the needs, barriers and aspirations of particular groups or communities." The details of the overhaul have not been finalised yet. (ABC News: Curtis Rodda) A public discussion paper on the Workforce Australia changes i

Single, lost and desperate, Harsimran turned to an 'employment mentor'

Key takeaways

More in international