Pathways to Employment, New Zealand

by | Jul 12, 2016

Section: Long-term
Concept

Provision of support to resettled communities to facilitate access to employment opportunities.

Case study

The New Zealand Red Cross manages Pathways to Employment to help resettled migrants determine their employment, education, training and career goals and, ultimately, to find work in different sectors including agriculture, construction, manufacturing, hospitality, child care and retail. The programme focuses on providing cultural and professional skills, links to local businesses, and access to employment information.

  • Cultural and professional skills. Migrants are provided cultural orientation to make them aware of norms in New Zealand. The programme also helps clients prepare professionally by offering services that include career planning support, skills assessment (including language), referrals to language, higher education or vocational trainings, CV and cover letter assistance, and interview coaching. Employment assessors conduct in-depth, client-centred career, employment and language assessments to create an individualized plan for each person.
  • Links to local businesses. Employer liaisons work with employers to promote the benefits of hiring migrants and to overcome perceived barriers to hiring.
  • Employment information. The programme maintains a database of migrants and available opportunities. Cross cultural workers interpret and provide cultural information for other staff and migrants. Migrants receive support after initial employment to encourage their progress toward meaningful and sustainable employment.
Other examples
Assessment of impact and reach

256 people were placed into a job programme and annual national targets were exceeded at the end of March 2016 (nine months).

Cost per beneficiary
$100 +
Alignment with policy

Design. [P1] Focuses on the need of migrants to find work. [P3] Supports the aspiration of migrants to find work.

Implementation. [P6] Builds partnerships with employers for migrants.

Challenges
  • Migrants need to have basic workplace English skills.
  • Matching jobs with available skills due to the small pool of migrants.
  • Employer reluctance to invest in migrants.
  • Professional qualifications from many countries are not recognized in New Zealand.
Lessons learned
  • The Employer Liaison role is key. An individual with networking and persuasion skills is vital to creating employment opportunities.
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