Paid internships for asylum seekers and refugees: meet the man behind this trail blazing project
Two of Australia's major super funds have joined the list of 20 employment partners joining with CareerSeekers, an organisation that connects refugees and asylum seekers with paid internships. Industry Moves finds out from founder and CEO, Michael Combs what inspired him to set up this innovative project, some background on how it all works and we also hear from some of the interns about this "life-changing" experience.
"Our partnership with CareerSeekers forms part of an ongoing commitment to diversity and inclusion within our workforce." - Lee Scales, UniSuper Executive Manager, Member & People Services
Q&A with Michael Combs
UniSuper have recently become one of the partners in the CareerSeekers scheme. Have you secured many partnerships within the superannuation and finance industry?
Yes, we have. First State Super and UniSuper were the first two to come on board. First State Super is quite unique in that their CEO, Michael Dwyer, is also on the board of UNHCR, so he very much plays a role in the United Nations efforts to work with asylum seekers and refugees. Having those supporters who have a really deep industry knowledge and perspective as partners is very important to CareerSeekers.
Both of those funds are the initial super funds to come on board but for us it's really about starting out with a few trailblazers of the industry, then we pilot the model, get a taste for it, get some really great ambassadors and advocates for the program and then we will look to expand across the superannuation funds.
There is a real opportunity for the finance industry to get together and blaze the trail that will see other industries follow suit.
What support structure do you have in place with the partners of the scheme to ensure that the internship is beneficial for the intern?
We need to recognise that for a lot of the participants, this is their first look into the Australian workplace. We need to make sure that they understand some of the differences from the workplaces that they've come from, to the uniqueness of the Australian workplace. There is a lot of pre-employment training with the individuals. We also look at it from the employer's side and make sure that teams are very aware of the background and context of the asylum seekers and refugees.
Because many organisations haven't had specific targeted employment initiatives around asylum seekers and refugees we do a lot of training with the organisation before the participant starts. We want to make sure that both sides are prepared to experience this new workplace culture and make sure that the workplaces are ready to manage and bring out the success of the individuals.
The employer is provided with some context around the individual, such as what the participant would like to get out of the internship professionally, what they're excited about and any personal information that the manager might need to know regarding their case profile or any personal triggers.
So far, have many interns obtained permanent roles at the end of the program?
We've been running for the last six months and during that time we've put 47 participants into internships. Many of them are still in the process of completing their program. We've had four people that have completed their roles so far and two that have obtained full time positions with their organisation. For those interns that have not obtained ongoing employment with their sponsoring company, we linked them up with professional recruitment agencies that help them out to find long term employment.
We are very focused on getting interns long term employment at the end of their internships but really what we're trying to achieve is helping them to overcome the three biggest obstacles that they face in gaining professional employment in Australia. Which are:
They haven't got an Australian company on their CV.
They haven't got an Australian referee.
They haven't got a professional network in Australia.
During their twelve-week internship program we are taking those three barriers away and that's what positions them for long-term future employment.
You have previously founded CareerTrackers, a similar internship program that focuses on Indigenous students. What did you learn from this program that helped when creating CareerSeekers?
CareerTrackers is a not-for-profit organisation that supports Indigenous university students into paid internships. They do those internships each year of their degree with the view that when they graduate that they will go into full time employment. Over the past seven years that program has really developed a brand for uncovering great talent and excellence in employing people who have come from a disadvantaged background. CareerTrackers has 91 employment partners and what we're seeing is that across those organisations they're starting to think more about their diversity agendas beyond gender and Indigenous issues and they're now turning the lens to multicultural diversity.
Having experienced the CareerTrackers program previously, employers now have a much higher level of confidence in embarking on new initiatives, such as CareerSeekers.
What do you see as achievable goals for CareerSeekers over the next 12 months?
We want to see 200 participants going into internships. At the moment we have 20 employment partners, we want to see that grow to 50 and ultimately we want to see Australian's having a different view point on the topic of asylum seekers and refugees.
What led you to your career in setting up CareerSeekers and CareerTrackers?
Both programs are based off a similar model to an organisation in the U.S called Inroads which coordinates internships for African Americans and Native Americans and I went through that program myself. I'm originally from the U.S, my Dad is African American. So, I have been through a similar program and completed an internship just as those who are going through CareerSeekers. That experience had such an impact on me personally and for my family and when I came to Australia there were no such programs available, so this is my way of paying back the opportunity that Inroads gave to me.
Who do you most admire and how have they influenced your life/career?
I admire people like Martin Luther King and Steve Jobs. I admire them because they aren't afraid to challenge the status quo, they're not afraid to push back and both of them, through their philosophy of excellence and innovation, have had profound impacts on the world.
Where did you grow up?
Colorado, America.
What was your very first job?
My first job was my internship with Hewlett Packard when I was right out of high school. Initially it was quite daunting, being a seventeen-year-old going into the professional workplace was quite a challenge, but the great thing about that experience, and doing it through Inroads, was that I had 75 other students going through the same experience and we were very supportive of each other.
What is your most treasured possession?
The first thing that comes to mind is one of my watches. I'm a bit of a watch enthusiast and there is a particular watch that I brought on my 21st birthday when I was travelling around Europe that I would consider my most treasured possession.
From a social point of view, it's also about getting an Australian to meet an asylum seeker or refugee and understanding that it's about more than what we see in the media. There is a social benefit that occurs as Australian's get a first hand view of the topic and lend their skills to mentor someone into full time employment - Michael Combs
What the interns have to say...
Every task and every day of my internship has been a life-changing experience for me. Meeting and working with such professional individuals and groups in IAG further motivates me towards my goal to be an active citizen and to contribute to the Australian community - University Student Stream interning with IAG
Thankfully I met CareerSeekers and they have taught me lots of things about working in Australia and what I need to do to get a job. CareerSeekers helped me to find an opportunity for an internship and I am very excited about this - Mid Career Participant interning with NSW Department of Primary Industries
It was perfect timing when one of my friends introduced me to Career Seekers. After a few months of preparation I was put forward to a paid internship in Telstra. The twelve weeks I spent at Telstra gave me hands on experience in my industry. I have been able to see how well my skills translate into an Australian environment. I have developed a network of support. And over those twelve weeks we were able to live off my earnings, rather than Centrelink or the savings we were able to bring with us - Mid Career Participant who completed an internship with Telstra
Click here to find out about how your organisation can get involved.
A UniSuper intern placed through the CareerSeekers program attends a pre-internship training session with other refugees and asylum seekers.
