Graduates of the African Australian Inclusion Program 2018
For many African immigrants to Australia, the path down under is extremely difficult, and when they arrive, they face new challenges including the lack of a social network, cultural differences and racism, a high cost of living and difficulty in getting a job.
“I applied for 100 jobs, got only two interviews, and was unsuccessful in those two,” shared Alison John, a young Sudanese man who migrated to Australia in 2012. “I felt a lack of confidence. And there was also a sense of fear. I started to think I am not good enough to get a job in Australia. Even someone who is passionate and determined, without experience they don’t have a chance.”
Jesuit Social Services has been working with National Australia Bank (NAB) for almost a decade to break the cycle of under-employment in the skilled African Australian community.
Since 2009, NAB has been running the African Australian Inclusion Program (AAIP), which provides six months’ paid work experience to skilled African Australians struggling to gain employment due to a lack of local experience. In the nine years, 340 African Australians, including Alison John, have participated in the programme, with many then gaining permanent roles at the bank, which is one of Australia’s largest financial institutions.
On March 26, NAB and Jesuit Social Services announced that they will extend the programme to Sydney branches for the first time. NAB traditionally offered AAIP places in its head offices, but last October a pilot began with five roles at Victorian branches.
Positive feedback has led to an extension of this branch pilot, with three AAIP participants to start in NAB branches in Sydney in April and three new participants in customer-facing branch roles in Victoria. They will form part of a cohort of 41 new AAIP participants across the business.
The announcement of the programme’s expansion was made on the same day as the graduation of the latest round of AAIP participants based in Victoria.
For Jesuit Social Services CEO Julie Edwards, the African Australian inclusion programme is proof that diversity is an asset.
“Participants in this programme, as well as our staff and the staff at NAB, have grown and flourished through involvement with the AAIP. It is exciting to now see the programme expand into retail branches where the community will also get a chance to experience the richness of passion and skill that participants bring to their work,” she said.
The programme’s achievements have led to other major Australian organisations setting up similar programmes. In fact, Jesuit Social Services has formed partnerships with two other major organisations including John Holland to deliver similar corporate diversity programmes.
“Further proof of the success of this model is the recent government funding Jesuit Social Services has received to expand and partner with others to support more marginalised workers into skilled jobs,” said Edwards.
NAB CEO Andrew Thorburn said the pilot in Sydney branches further highlighted the value of the programme. “The programme has changed lives and, in the process, changed the bank in making it a more people-oriented organisation,” he said. “This has been done by people taking a risk, having courage and making things happen. It is such a great story of what we are and what we need to be.” [Jesuit Social Services]
