Western Australia has been hit hard by the workplace shortages affecting many organisations in 2022, especially within the aged care and disability services sectors.
To tackle this issue, MercyCare has teamed up with Brightwater to develop a program to place people from refugee or asylum seeker backgrounds into jobs within Brightwater’s 2100-strong workforce.
Brightwater’s Talent Acquisition Specialist Holly Reid said the usual methods of securing staff were no longer working, which lead to Holly and MercyCare’s Employment Liaison Officer Jacqui Whelan working together to develop a program that identifies suitable candidates from MercyCare’s Employment Pathways support program for refugee and asylum seekers.
Ms Whelan knows the barriers that refugees and asylum seekers face in their attempt to secure employment, “lack of familiarity with the job application process and Australian workplace practices, difficulty accessing necessary documentation, language and/or cultural differences and not having a support network, can all impact the chance of finding employment,” said Jacqui.
“This program addresses some of these barriers by providing wrap-around support during onboarding to ensure candidates can navigate the process. They also get follow-up support after they are placed in a role.”
“It’s wonderful to see Brightwater taking the opportunity to think creatively and open up opportunities for people who have structural barriers to workforce entry,” Ms Whelan added.
“It is also a way to work towards mitigating some of the workforce shortage that exists at the moment. It’s a win-win for everybody.”
Success of the program
The program’s first successful candidate, Than Than from Burma (pictured), came to Australia as a refugee seven years ago, and in August last year, she began working at Brightwater Linen in Malaga.
Following Than Than’s success, Brightwater Linen requested 15 more employees in three weeks! A flurry of activity followed, including group interviews and a tour of Brightwater Linen’s commercial laundry. All the positions were filled and Jacqui says she has received positive feedback from her MercyCare clients about how they feel in their new Brightwater jobs.
MercyCare’s Employment Pathways Support Program works with refugees and asylum seekers to identify their skills and interests and match them to available work opportunities. The program also connects participants with skilled mentors to guide them through the idiosyncrasies of the Australian workplace.
