Mustapha Bangura
Education and Employment Project Worker

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SydWest Multicultural Services Inc. has been working with newly-arrived refugee and migrants in Blacktown and surrounding areas for over 25 years. The organisation is a not-for-profit community service provider established to directly assist migrants, refugees and humanitarian entrants in their settlement and at other critical times of need. The organisation delivered a diverse range of community needs including casework support for individuals and families, settlement information and referrals sessions, youth programs, community and cultural development, advocacy and disability services.
The organisation has three main divisions:
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Settlement Services Team
Families NSW Team
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CALDACS All Care Team (including Aged Care and Disability Services)

Education Issues
 Literacy, numeracy and general knowledge gaps,
 Behavioural issues and concentration problems
 Lack of access to study spaces computers/printers
 Transition from IEC to school
 Lack of knowledge or bias against TAFE options
 Senior students 16 – 20 years high needs
Employment Issues
 Orientation to Australia work environment
 Lack of qualifications (or lack of recognition)
 Limited language skills
 Lack of local experience
 Dealing with discrimination
 Knowledge of work rights
 Knowledge of pathways to employment
Settlement Issues
 protracted displacement in refugee camps
 Disrupted schooling
 Anxiety about family members left behind
 Adjusting to a new culture
 Complex family dynamics
 Lack of access or knowledge of service providers

The aim of the project is to provide orientation and transitional support to young people as they move from English Centres to mainstream education facilities and increasing employment opportunities through providing information and training activities combined with targeted casework support.
Activities Include:
 Targeted casework services at SMSI and local schools in Blacktown LGA
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Employment workshops and training delivered in partnership with TAFE
Programs at Schools
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Education Support Program
Networking and partnerships

PROJECT DELIVERY
REFERRALS
/INDIVIDUAL OR
COMMUNITY
CONSULTATIONS
EDUCATION EMPLOYMENT SOCIAL

EDUCATION
Within School Age Outside School Age
School
Programs
Resilience building programs, life skills, education pathways
After School
Programs
Casework, referrals, advocacy and group sessions
Casework, referrals, advocacy and homework program
Training institutions like
TAFE, apprenticeship and traineeship programs

The project works with local school to provide education and settlement information to students in partnership with the schools, DET and local services.
In 2010 the program ran:
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Services Tours, TAFE introduction, Cooking Classes and soccer programs at Evans High School and IEC
TAFE testers, mental health and self esteem classes at Blacktown Girls H.S. with TAFE, STARTTS, DET and
Centrelink
Living skills including cooking, conflict resolution, services tours study skills and camp with Mitchell High School
Community Harmony, music and dance project at
Doonside Technology

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Homework Support Program held weekly with the support of 10 volunteer tutors this program receives between 15
– 25 high school students weekly
Scripting Writing Workshops with
Playwriting Australia create a fun learning environment where students improve their
English language skills and perform on stage
Drama and Multimedia Workshops with
Blacktown Youth Services Association
Writing and Study Skills Workshops on essay and poetry writing, stress and time management
ESL HSC Exam Preparation workshops to assist senior students

 TAFE outreach programs training programs delivering employment workshops including computer skills, resume writing, Australia work culture
 Information Sessions with TAFE counsellors about pathways to employment and from
TAFE to university
 Partnership with COM4Unity members including WestPoint Shopping Centre where retailers spoke to young people about employment opportunities

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This project has being the reference point or point of contact for refugee and migrant young people living in Blacktown LGA to talk about their education and employment needs.
It is also a reference point for local schools to help them deal with other settlement issues that affect the performance of students at school.
Strong network with local schools, DET, and TAFE to collectively map out alternative education pathways for IEC and ESL students at the schools and to discuss, plan and implement other programs that will help students deal with other settlement issues impacting on their academic work.
Effective ongoing casework for about 68 young people and 51% of the issues were employment related, 40% are education related and 9% others. At least 15 young people who were not sure about what to do next have been engaged in apprenticeship and TAFE studies through casework.
Periodic sessions on career planning, apprenticeship/traineeship, orientation to the Australian work environment, job search, resume writing skills, job interview skills, youth’s leadership, creative writing, drama/acting, building resilience, computer skills and life skills.

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For apprenticeship/traineeship programs, a ‘knock the door’ approach has been adopted where clients are assisted with their resumes and encouraged to go round in their local communities to speak and hand out their resumes to employers. About six clients have succeeded in gaining apprenticeship through this approach.
The homework program runs every Thursday between 4-6pm during school term. The key activities include tutoring and mentoring and other facilities like access to computers with internet, printer and an ideal study environment where students are assisted in their academic work and give them the opportunity to associate and make friends. There have been over 80 participants per school term with an average weekly attendance of 16-20 students from diverse backgrounds.

 Despite the wave of new arrivals into the Blacktown LGA, there are still significant numbers of refugee and migrant young people who have spent at least 4 years in Australia but are still experiencing serious literacy and numeracy problems and employment difficulties that impact on their settlement process. Their stay in Australia is increasing daily, but this has not fully reflected on their ability to integrate into the Australian system especially in areas of education and employment. They still required extra support to facilitate their transition into the Australian society.
 Strategies to address the education needs of refugee students should go beyond what is provided in schools through the IEC and ESL programs plus regular class work. There could be other settlement issues relating to their behaviour, cultural differences, the law and the community at large that usually impact on their performance at school. As most of these issues are intertwine, an approach that is much broader is needed to look into the various issues affecting their integration process.

 Schools and other organisations providing services for young people should have some background information about the clients they are serving – their experiences, issues affecting them and what their immediate needs are.
 Ongoing inter-agency meetings to share experiences, discuss and formulate collectively a tailored response to address these issues.
 For those out of school, TAFE/University pathway programs, apprenticeship and traineeship programs, information about admission to TAFE/University, information about Australian work environment and employment related issues, and youth leadership skills are essential programs to re-engage these youths for positive attitude and help them make sound decisions for brighter future.
 Employment agencies/organisations should do more in terms of linking the clients with the employers
 Partnering with the relevant institutions to run sessions on employment

TARGETING FUTURE