Internship in the Health and Community Sectors for Bilingual

Students

NMIT and Brotherhood of St LaurenceRachel Wilson

Christine Sammut

Innovation Fund Priority Areas

• Addressing skills shortages• Workforce development

What we did• Identifying students

• Off-the-job training

• Matching and Support Structures

• Student Pathways

Identifying students

Off the job training• Combination of ESL and community services

training

• Australian workplace culture and conditions

• Training as bilingual workers

Workplace Matching and Support

• Student goals and research

• Making contact, visiting, meetings

• Communication with supervisors

• Facebook Group

Workplace Hosts• Collingwood Community Information Centre • East Reservoir Neighbourhood Renewal Project• ISIS Community Health Centre• Jesuit Social Services: Sharing Women’s Lives• Metropolitan Fire Brigade, Multicultural Liaison• Multicultural Centre for Women’s Health• North Yarra Community Health• Royal Women’s Hospital Women’s Health Information

Centre

• “I have learnt many new words, web sites which related to health, Australia workplace culture. In the WHIC can offer information, individualised support and referral options on a wide range of women's health issues which I did not know before”.

• “I have learnt a lot, it is very diferent work culture in Australia than in my country, work is done very profecionaly but it is respect betwen bos and employe”.

Pathways

• 4 of original 16 now employed as bilingual health and community workers

• 11 enrolled in higher level courses in the health and community work field