CareerSeekers interns

Challenge

Asylum seekers and refugees with extensive skills and experience are arriving in Australia, and struggle to find meaningful work in their area of expertise. They often have no choice but to take employment below their skillset and experience. Mirvac recognises that there is an opportunity for these people to add value to our teams and help us to deliver our pipeline of work. The challenge for our business, and many like us, is how to access qualified candidates and recruit skilled people to work for Mirvac.

Solution

CareerSeekers, a non-profit social enterprise, partners with organisations to create paid internships for asylum seekers, or recently-arrived refugees, who are looking to restart their professional careers in Australia. These internships provide valuable local experience and access to industry networks, both of which are often barriers to new Australians accessing professional employment. Mirvac’s construction team has used the CareerSeekers mid-career program, which places experienced or tertiary qualified professionals with several years’ experience in their field.

Outcomes

To date, we have placed two interns from CareerSeekers at Mirvac; one in the Sydney cost-planning team and the other in the Melbourne-based post-completion team. Both interns have now transitioned into full-time employment. For Mirvac, we have gained two talented, qualified, hardworking and highly engaged professionals. And for these individuals, they have gained meaningful and relevant work to help them settle into Australian life.

Focus Area

 Social Inclusion

 Our People