Unemployment and under-employment are the reality for many skilled immigrants arriving in New Zealand.
The OMEGA Mentoring Programme is helping to build diverse and effective workplaces by linking immigrants with similarly skilled business professionals, who offer sector-specific mentoring with the aim of removing the barriers preventing entry to the workforce.
“If I remove the input I’ve had, it is possible that I would have continued without success for a long time. The mentoring made a big difference,” says Vaughan Granier, who arrived from Dubai.
OMEGA has facilitated over 170 mentoring matches since its inception in 2008, and 80% of mentees who complete the programme find relevant employment.
There have been 12 internship placements to date – a good outcome in a time of economic and job insecurity.
OMEGA works in partnership with corporates, government and community organisations, including the Auckland Regional Migrant Services Charitable Trust (ARMS).
The Tindall Foundation introduced the concept of OMEGA to the Committee for Auckland, and funded its set-up, after seeing the success of TRIEC, a similar project run by the Maytree Foundation in Toronto.
For more information contact:
Justin Treagus, OMEGA Programme Director
Email: justin.treagus@omega.org.nz
Website: www.omega.org.nz