Migrant and Refugee Employment Law Project

To increase knowledge and understanding of laws, raise awareness of services, and build trust with target communities, WEstjustice has developed an employment law education program as part of the Migrant and Refugee Employment Law Project.

Check out this video of one of our amazing peer educators, talking about our Employment Law Train the Trainer Program and Services!

The program consists of: 

Information sessions for migrant and refugee community members

These sessions are provided upon request. We deliver sessions to a variety of formal and informal groups, including community organisations (for example, at church group meetings or community meetings); English as Additional Language classes (in particular, employment-oriented programs including AMEP SLPET classes); information sessions run by education providers and settlement agencies (for example, Rights and Responsibilities seminars or other organised programs); and as part of other multicultural leadership and ambassador training programs.

Information sessions for workers with migrant and refugee communities

These sessions are targeted at staff who frequently assist migrant and refugee clients. The sessions seek to rasie awareness of employment laws and services to enable workers to identify when their clients are experiencing an employment law issue and make appropriate referrals.  

Employment Law Train the Trainer program

WEstjustice's Employment Law Train the Trainer Program has run for 5 years, from 2015-2020. This program provides paid employment to bilingual community leaders, who attend a 10-day training course in employment laws and services. The participants visit key agencies, including the Fair Work Ombudsman, the Fair Work Commission, the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission and Victoria Legal Aid. They are then supported to develop and deliver education resources and information sessions about work rights and responsibilities for their communities.

The aim of the program is to empower people from newly arrived migrant and refugee communities to understand their workplace rights and responsibilities, and to build their capacity to enforce them. The long-term goal of the program is to prevent migrant worker exploitation.

WEstjustice has run five roll-outs of this program, training 34 migrants from 21 different countries who spoke 43 different languages. Betweem them, the graduates have delivered 64 formal legal education sessions, reaching over 1880 migrants. They continue to speak to approximately tow to three community members per week about work rights and have made direct referrals for legal assistance for around 412 community members to date. 74% of graduates said that the program directly assisted them to secure further paid employment.

Watch this video to learn more about the program from the Community Education Officers:

Redfern Community Legal Centre is running a NSW pilot of the Train the Trainer Program, and in addition we are working with a range of stakeholders to try to establish ongoing support to deliver this program across Victoria and to further develop the peer education network and a fee-for-service model of delivery. To speak to us about this program please email elp@westjustice.org.au.

Click here for more information about our migrant employment education resources.

We are currently limited to delivering education services to international students, young people and workers supporting them. To request a free information session for your community, or to express interest in any upcoming sessions for community workers please email elp@westjustice.org.au.

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