Cultural Inclusiveness Committee
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Cultural Inclusiveness Committee
Our Vision
Our vision is for the Hills & Districts Chamber to be recognised as Queensland’s most culturally-inclusive Chamber of Commerce and for our local businesses to lead the way in leveraging the cultural diversity that already exists in our region.
Initiatives we lead
- Refugee Career Matching & Mentoring. This is the one of the first partnerships of its kind in Australia between a Chamber of Commerce and the local refugee community. Scroll down for more details.
- Showcasing our region internationally. Through our international networks, we raise the awareness of our region as welcoming place for investment, employment, education, migration and visitation.
- Co-hosting and participating in trade delegations. We seek to uplift Council and Government trade delegations by showing genuine hospitality and enthusiasm in welcoming trade and investment.
Cultural Inclusiveness Committee
Refugee Career Matching & Mentoring Initiative
About.
This ground-breaking Refugee Career Matching & Mentoring Initiative is led by The Hills and Districts Chamber of Commerce in partnership with the Romero Centre. It is the one of the first partnerships of its kind in Australia between a Chamber of Commerce and the local refugee community.
Matching opportunities in this program range from paid employment through to mentoring, internships and job placements.
The benefits of this initiative are far-reaching:
- Firstly, this exchange addresses the difficulties that people from refugee backgrounds often face in “getting a foot in the door” to employment in Australia. Employment or entrepreneurship is important for financial self-sustainability and is a major contributor in helping migrants feel valued as contributing members of society.
- Secondly, this initiative addresses the current workforce shortage in Australia.
- Thirdly, the cultural exchange between candidates, their employers or mentors, and the Chamber community at large helps break down misconceptions about refugees in Australia, fosters cross-cultural awareness, and creates a stronger appreciation in our broader society for multiculturalism.
Opportunities for your involvement.
Are you or your organisation interested to offer an employment opportunity, work experience or mentoring to one or two of our Chamber associates who happen to be from refugee backgrounds?
View the list of all current opportunities in the section below and submit your Expression of Interest, or contact Committee Chair, Craig Shim via email for further information.
Current Refugee Career Matching & Mentoring Opportunities
Here’s an updated list of candidates seeking employment / work experience / mentoring opportunities.
Qualified lawyer seeking local Australian experience as legal assistant or legal clerk
Current status: OPEN
- The Hills & Districts Chamber of Commerce is currently seeking Expressions of Interest (EOI) from potential employers, work experience providers or mentors in the Brisbane Region.
- EOIs open 25 May 2021
- Click here to submit an EOI
- Alternatively, contact Craig Shim from the Hills & Districts Chamber to request more information about this candidate before submitting your EOI
- EOIs close 15 September 2021 (or earlier, if a suitable match with the candidate has already been filled)
What experience this candidate is seeking
- I am looking for opportunities to gain first-hand paid Australian work experience as a legal assistant or legal clerk
- I will be good at this because I have legal qualifications and prior experience in the legal industry
- I am also open for opportunities to gain first-hand paid Australian work experience as an administration assistant or receptionist in a small to medium businesses
- I will be able to perform these tasks because I have owned and operated a medium convenient shop and a small firm
Personal background about this candidate
- I am a mother of 4 children and a respected person in my family and in the community. I love to give back to the community to add value to the lives of ordinary people.
- Before I was forced to leave my country of origin, Papua New Guinea, I was a successful lawyer. After working for some years, I entered into private practice in 2018 and I operated my own firm and a convenient shop and both businesses were doing well enough to sustain me and my family. I dropped everything and fled to Australia.
- I am so thankful that I have unlimited work entitlements and workplace rights in Australia. What I need now is the opportunity to gain experience within the Australian workplace.
- This opportunity will help me achieve my dream of becoming a fully contributing member of our Australian Society and will also help provide greater financial stability for me and my family.
What a good match for this candidate might look like…
- Paid employment
- Paid job placement or work experience
- Candidate indicated they are also open to unpaid job placement or work experience
- This candidate has expressed an interest in the following areas:
- I would like to be mentored on how to start a business in Australia
- I would like to be mentored on work is carried out in my industry and how to meet clients
- I would like to know how to approach employers in my industry
- I would like to be mentored on general office administration duties in any industry, not specially in my industry
- How to write a LinkedIn profile
- What Australian recruiters or employers look for in a person/applicant
Next steps
- If you or your organisation might be a good fit for this candidate, click here to submit an EOI
- Alternatively, contact Craig Shim from the Hills & Districts Chamber to request more information about this candidate before submitting your EOI
- After the EOI phase closes, we collate all Expressions of Interest and send them to the candidate for consideration
- Once the candidate chooses the best fit, our Chamber of Commerce will arrange initial introductions and inform all EOI submitters of the outcome
- Remaining phases: introductions and onboarding, the “assignment” (period of Job Placement and/or Mentoring), assignment debrief
- Click here to download a 1-page overview of this process (PDF)
Qualified accountant seeking local Australian experience as Internal Auditor, Accountant or Financial Analyst
Current status: OPEN
- The Hills & Districts Chamber of Commerce is currently seeking Expressions of Interest (EOI) from potential employers, work experience providers or mentors in the Brisbane Region.
- EOIs open 25 May 2021
- Click here to submit an EOI
- Alternatively, contact Craig Shim from the Hills & Districts Chamber to request more information about this candidate before submitting your EOI
- EOIs close 15 September 2021 (or earlier, if a suitable match with the candidate has already been filled)
What experience this candidate is seeking
- I am looking for opportunities to gain first-hand paid Australian work experience as an Internal Auditor, Accountant or Financial Analyst.
- I am a standard-driven, self-motivated and confident person who has meticulous attention to detail, the ability to work accurately within a timeframe and a strong passion for advisory financial services, in particular by helping the organization that I am working for to achieve its financial and commercial objectives.
- For over 18 years, I have built up considerable strong experience as an auditor for different companies of different sizes in 14 counties in Africa, and I am a qualified Accountant in Australia and Internal Auditor Worldwide.
- I want to become an internal auditor in Australia because I enjoy partnering across business functions and assisting the organization for which I work to meet its strategic goals.
- Furthermore, I am particularly excited about the type of role that requires a combination of soft skills and strong math skills.
- A strong work ethic is a part of my personality and I get personal satisfaction from learning new skills.
- If I am hired, I feel confident that my mentors will quickly appreciate the add-value to their organisation, and it will be my goal to assist my managers in achieving their long-term business performance.
Personal background about this candidate
- Passionate about building an inclusive society, and making a difference in someone’s life, I’m a proud father of a family with three children (two girls and a boy).
- With a mature outlook on life and a professional attitude to my work, my previous employers have found me to be an employee who is loyal, trustworthy, reliable and willing to go the extra mile.
- Colleagues and my surrounding community know me as a diligent and hardworking person who delivers on commitments made and always willing to volunteer in empowering people with physical and intellectual disabilities as well as mental health issues, improve their quality of life, achieve their goals and live their best lives.
- This opportunity will help me achieve my dream of contributing in the development and maintenance of social solutions and community wellbeing, becoming a fully contributing member of Australian society, and will also help provide greater financial stability for me and my family.
What a good match for this candidate might look like…
- Paid employment
- Paid job placement or work experience
- Candidate indicated they are also open to unpaid job placement or work experience
- This candidate has expressed an interest in the following areas:
- how to find hidden job opportunities in my industry
- how to approach employers in my industry
- how to present well in job interviews
- what Australian recruiters look for
- how to write a LinkedIn profile etc
Next steps
- If you or your organisation might be a good fit for this candidate, click here to submit an EOI
- Alternatively, contact Craig Shim from the Hills & Districts Chamber to request more information about this candidate before submitting your EOI
- After the EOI phase closes, we collate all Expressions of Interest and send them to the candidate for consideration
- Once the candidate chooses the best fit, our Chamber of Commerce will arrange initial introductions and inform all EOI submitters of the outcome
- Remaining phases: introductions and onboarding, the “assignment” (period of Job Placement and/or Mentoring), assignment debrief
- Click here to download a 1-page overview of this process (PDF)
Qualified IT professional seeking local Australian experience in an IT company or a sales role for a retailer that sells computers and tech gadgets
Current status: OPEN
- The Hills & Districts Chamber of Commerce is currently seeking Expressions of Interest (EOI) from potential employers, work experience providers or mentors in the Brisbane Region.
- EOIs open 7 June 2021
- Click here to submit an EOI
- Alternatively, contact Craig Shim from the Hills & Districts Chamber to request more information about this candidate before submitting your EOI
- EOIs close 15 September 2021 (or earlier, if a suitable match with the candidate has already been filled)
What experience this candidate is seeking
- I am looking for opportunities to gain first-hand paid Australian work experience as an IT professional or a sales role for a retailer of computers and tech gadgets.
- With my formal qualifications (Bachelor of Computer Science), my overseas IT-related employment history of seven years in Iran, and a personal love of tech gadgets, I am eager to contribute to an Australian company that could allow someone with my skills and motivation to excel.
- I work collaboratively with team members and always focus on achieving goals.
- I am a good cultural fit for an Australian company because I’ve already been working in Australia for close to 10 years.
- Furthermore, I have participated in an Australian corporate cultural onboarding program by Alphacrane Intercultural Specialists and have proven my ability to understand and work with the Australian mindset towards teamwork, communication etc.
Personal background about this candidate
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I’m a proud family man who supports my partner and my stepson.
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Before being forced to leave my original country of Iran, I was a successful young professional who tried to be my best version of myself in my various roles: as a university student; an accomplished athlete in soccer, table tennis and fitness; and as an IT professional.
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In Iran I worked hard to learn English (I am now a fluent English speaker) while I was studying Information Technology at university whilst concurrently working a part time job.
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I am thankful that I now have full work rights in Australia, and I count my blessings that I live in a country which gives us opportunities to achieve our goals.
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What I now need is the opportunity to gain IT experience within the Australian workplace.
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This opportunity will help me achieve my dream of becoming a fully contributing member of Australian society in my professional field of expertise, and will also help provide greater financial stability for me and my family.
.
What a good match for this candidate might look like…
- Paid employment
- Paid job placement or work experience
- Candidate indicated they are also open to unpaid job placement or work experience
- A sales role with the likes of JB Hi-Fi, Harvey Norman or Apple
- This candidate has expressed an interest in being mentored in the following areas:
- how to find hidden job opportunities in my industry
- how to approach employers in my industry
- how to present well in job interviews
- what Australian recruiters look for
- how to write a LinkedIn profile etc
Next steps
- If you or your organisation might be a good fit for this candidate, click here to submit an EOI
- Alternatively, contact Craig Shim from the Hills & Districts Chamber to request more information about this candidate before submitting your EOI
- After the EOI phase closes, we collate all Expressions of Interest and send them to the candidate for consideration
- Once the candidate chooses the best fit, our Chamber of Commerce will arrange initial introductions and inform all EOI submitters of the outcome
- Remaining phases: introductions and onboarding, the “assignment” (period of Job Placement and/or Mentoring), assignment debrief
- Click here to download a 1-page overview of this process (PDF)
Craig Shim
Chairperson
0481 387 625
Leonard Whittaker
Committee Member
0417 883 688
Beata Ostapiej-Piatkowski
Committee Member
07 3013 0100