By LACHLAN MOORHEAD
MIGRANT women in Casey looking for work now have somewhere to turn to in order to break into the Australian workplace.
This month the Hampton Park Friendship Network has helped launch a local 10-week training course for migrant women under the guidance of women’s employment group Fitted for Work.
Victorian Immigrant and Refugee Women’s Coalition (VIRWC) project leader Elaine Smith, who is helping to co-ordinate the workshops, said she had been eager to bring the program to Casey to meet an ever-growing need for work among migrant women.
“At the Women’s Friendship Cafe in Hampton Park, we meet many migrant women keen to make a start so I asked Fitted for Work to run a program here,” she said.
“We have many talented, educated and experienced women who come to settle in this suburb.
“Because their experience is from overseas they are not sure how to begin, what to say at an interview, or how to prepare a resume.
“Local business and professional women and employers can be a helping hand along the way so the women can take that first step into a job.”
The migrant women employment workshop will run for 10 weeks, eight of which will be held at the Holy Trinity Anglican Church in Hampton Park, while two will be run in the city.
The course will help participants in job searching, refining their resumes, practising interview responses, as well as teaching them about Australian workplace laws and culture.
Ms Smith also said the program was looking for successful local women who could act as mentors to others and help the participants seek work.
“The more women who are confident and earning in City of Casey, the more we all benefit,” she said.
“Local businesses prosper when local families have money to spend. Kids can afford to belong to the sports club.
“Families feel positive about their future.”
Fitted for Work aims to help women experiencing disadvantage to acquire jobs and become financially independent.
For more information about the upcoming workshops in Hampton Park, contact Elaine on 0427 596 977 or email w.friendship.cafe@hotmail.com.
