23 May 2012

Settlement Support tackles employment matters for migrants

Settlement Support’s next meeting will address the subject of Employment Matters for Migrants. The meeting will be from 6-9pm on Wednesday 30 May at the ASB Lounge at Kensington Stadium.

Networking meetings are held twice a year and offer valuable support to migrants in Whangarei.

This next event is a collaboration between CareersNZ and Settlement Support, and will focus on a range of topics including skills for finding work, labour market information, career changes, kiwi workplace culture, employment relations and career influencers, as well as topics raised by the participants.

“Employment matters are in the top three issues migrants raise with Settlement Support,” said Ellen Altshuler, Settlement Support Coordinator.

“Whether it’s trying to find a job in a specialist field, seeking any employment at all, fitting into the Kiwi workplace, coping when a job goes sour, or retraining for a new career, migrants are concerned about employment.

“Some migrants arrive in New Zealand only to discover that their qualifications are not recognised here. They can’t slot into the job they’ve been doing for years and would rather not retrain in the same field, so choose to go in another direction.

“But it can take a while to work out where the opportunities are and what other job options are available.”

Settlement Support often refers people to CareersNZ as a starting point. From there, some decide to study as a way of getting a feel for the New Zealand context. Others take the opportunity to go into volunteer work which can be a good way to meet locals and open doors to new opportunities,” Ms Altshuler says.

Settlement Support is often the first port of call for migrants when looking for work or when things go wrong.

“That’s what we’re here for and that’s what this meeting is all about,” Ms Altshuler said.

“It will be an opportunity to gain an understanding of what is required to get the most out of a job search and achieve that dream job.”

Anyone wanting to attend the Settlement Network meeting on Wednesday 30 May should email: ellena@wdc.govt.nz to register.

Settlement Support is a service of Immigration New Zealand, a free information and referral service for migrants and newcomers to help them settle into the Whangarei community.

ENDS

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