Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs Alex Hawke announced a new partnership between the Government and global skilled refugee employment organisation Talent Beyond Boundaries (TBB).
The initiative aspires to provide more opportunities for employment in a range of critical roles in Australia through the expanded Skilled Refugee Pilot program to allow candidates to gain employment in a range of new occupations, allow skills recognition and also provide additional visa flexibility for candidates inside Afghanistan.
The size of the Pilot program will also increase – from the current allocation of 100 primary places – with the addition of a further 50 primary places to candidates from Afghanistan and a further 50 primary places to candidates from Ukraine taking the Pilot to 200 primary places.
“We have one of the most generous refugee resettlement programs in the world but we shouldn’t limit our thinking to that program,” Minister Hawke said, stressing that the Talent Beyond Boundaries pilot outcomes will inform future migration program planning.
“The Morrison Government recognises that in many cases refugees come with a range of skills and qualifications that are highly sought after in Australia, and where they are able to, we should do everything in our power to support them to use those skills,” he added.
Talent Beyond Boundaries Global CEO Steph Cousins noted the program is already providing real opportunities to skilled refugees and Australian employers through a straightforward job matching service.
“The Government’s Skilled Refugee Pilot Program recognises that many refugees have skills and talents that make them an incredible asset,” he said.
“When we give displaced people opportunities to move internationally for work, they’re able to resume their careers, rebuild their lives, and enrich our communities in the process,” Ms Cousins said.
On a similar note, Managing Director of Bluemar Consulting Engineers Dr Shaun Meares has worked with Talent Beyond Boundaries to employ Maya, a Palestinian refugee from Lebanon in Esperance, Western Australia.
“As well as the obvious humanitarian outcomes, hiring a refugee adds further diversity of human capital and technical skills to our team. Attracting labour to regional Australia has always been difficult. The pilot program is an innovative way for us to grow our team and strengthen our business to the benefit of our regional community,” Dr Meares said.
“Maya is fitting right in. She’s not afraid to get her hands dirty (literally), she’s always up for a new challenge, and there are plenty of opportunities for her to adjust her technical skills to suit the Australian environment. The wonderful thing about engineering is that the underlying mathematics and science are a common language all around the world,” he said.
Maya holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering and a Master of Science in Civil Engineering. She is one of the first skilled refugees engaged under this pilot having moved to Esperance, WA with her husband and pre-school aged son in December 2021.
“Being a refugee has always been a problem for me, but it was never a reason for giving up. I believed in myself and worked very hard to achieve my goals. Now, I am recognised as a professional civil engineer in Australia and looking forward to many more successful years,” Maya said.
