Hardworking refugee finds employment through SSI

Hassan meets a Kangaroo and volunteers at SSI’s Community Kitchen 

“It was a very happy day when our plane touched down in Sydney. I was excited to get started working and building my life again,” he said.

Hassan and his family were forced to flee their home in Mosul, Iraq and relocate to a refugee camp in Jordan after their city was overtaken by hostile forces.

Hassan had been studying in his final year in a degree of pharmacology before his studies were abruptly cut short and his life was turned upside down. Despite his experiences, Hassan has never given up his drive to build the life he deserves and pursue a career he enjoys.

When Hassan arrived in Australia, SSI staff met him at the airport and supported him to become oriented to Australia, link into the community and start realising his goals in areas including English language development, education and employment.

Just three months after arriving in Australia, Hassan’s SSI case manager recommended he apply for an employment program through SSI partner, Allianz Australia.

“On the day of my interview I was really excited. I remember going into the city with my partner. A week later Allianz called me back and said I had the job. It was a great feeling,” said Hassan

Through the program, Hassan completed various placements around Allianz before he and his supervisors identified a suitable full-time role.

Hassan’s role allowed him to develop his English communication skills and business acumen, along with giving him a foot in the door of Australia’s job market – something that is often challenging for new arrivals who lack local work experience and qualifications.

Hassan is still employed with Allianz and has recently moved into its life insurance area. To date, 21 new arrivals like Hassan have been placed in a range of permanent roles at Allianz in areas including accounting and finance, data science, audit and customer service.