Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD)


Humanitarian/Refugee Entrant Job Seeker Pilot Project

The pilot project delivered an intervention of 15 weeks for 10 humanitarian/refugee entrant job seekers from the Sydney metro region.

The pilot intervention was conducted in Marrickville. The 10-humanitarian/refugee entrant job seekers participated in a 15-week intervention aimed at improving employment prospects by increasing their understanding of the Australian workplace and labour market, and understanding how their current level of skills/qualifications could be utilised in the Australian market.

The project objectives were to provide an intervention for humanitarian/refugee entrant job seekers to:

  • increase their employment prospects by understanding their needs and providing practical workplace experience;
  • establish better integration of this group into the labour market and the Australian community,
  • reduce long term dependency by this group on welfare payments, and
  • develop a better understanding and more positive perceptions of humanitarian and refugee status job seekers by service deliverers and employers.

MTC was recognised as one of Australia’s top performers in this project with 90% of job seekers gaining employment at completion of the programme.

“From Sudan to Sydney” - Dinka Dialect Settlement Video

MTC actively supported the making of a settlement video in the Dinka dialect and has supported the Bhar el ghazal Youth Union to perform and promote training to the Sudanese community.

The video focusses on settlement questions for Dinka speaking Sudanese arriving in Australia, with specific reference to the Australian workforce. The video also provides an interesting insight into the cultural differences between the Southern Sudanese and Australians.

MTC ‘s Work for the Dole participants developed both the script and shooting schedule for the video. In addition to developing skills in film and video production, participants developed skills in areas such as time and project management

The project was developed in partnership with Sydney Community College Design and Technology Centre, May Murray Community Centre and the African Communities Council.

“Out and About” Video Project

The ‘Out and About’ video is designed to complement the previous video, ‘From Sudan to Sydney’, which the above partnership completed in 2004/05. It was during this project that the partnership discovered the need for information about using public transport in Sydney for recent migrants from various African communities.

For many such migrants a sophisticated, automated 'western' public transport system is a novelty and is also very challenging to navigate. The aim of the 'Out and About' video was to produce a 'users guide' to the Sydney public transport systems in African Community Languages.