Opportunities for Migrant Employment in Greater Auckland

Introduction

OMEGA (Opportunities for Migrant Employment in Greater Auckland) is an organisation which works to see the greater Auckland region prosper by fully engaging the contributions of skilled immigrants, and by helping bring an end to workplace skill shortages.

OMEGA recognises the unique barriers new Kiwis face when entering the New Zealand labour market, and its practical programmes address these barriers, and at the same time help organisations benefit from the talents and skills immigrants bring with them. OMEGA works in partnership with corporates, government, and community organisations, including ARMS.

The Mentoring Programme and TAP-In are two of OMEGA's successful programmes which are designed to increase the employment of qualified immigrants in jobs that match their skills and experience.

Programmes

The Mentoring Programme facilitates occupation-specific mentoring, matching skilled immigrants with business professionals who share the same skills and industry knowledge. Mentors provide advice, support, information and contacts, with the aim of assisting mentees to obtain employment relevant to their qualifications and experience. The mentees who enter the programme possess the education, experience and language skills needed to excel in the workforce. All they are missing are the connections and local knowledge that can only be gained from real-life experience.

TAP-In is designed to assist skilled immigrants with the dilemma of having "no New Zealand experience, no job - no job, no New Zealand experience"; a dilemma that prevents many new Kiwis from entering the workplace, using their expertise, and contributing to the economy. TAP-In provides fixed-term work for skilled immigrants in their field of expertise, through three to six month paid internships, or volunteer terms of several weeks. This gives them legitimate and challenging experience in the New Zealand workplace, and exponentially increases the possibility of their access to permanent, sustainable and meaningful employment in the longer term.

Contact Us

For more information on OMEGA, please visit the website www.omega.org.nz, or email info@omega.org.nz. For immigrant opportunities, you can also contact Anne Benitez at anneb@arms-mrc.org.nz.