Participants of the John Holland Pathway Program, run by Jesuit Social Services and engineering, contracting and service provider John Holland, have shared their stories with ABC.

Program participants Mamode Osikoye and Daniel Mabil. Credit: ABC News.

The program, based on the successful African Australian Inclusion Program which Jesuit Social Services has operated with NAB since 2009, has provided 23 participants with paid and supported roles at John Holland in Melbourne.

All participants are qualified engineers; many arrived in Australia as refugees and faced significant barriers to local employment due to a lack of local work history.

The Australian-first program equips participants with training and support, mentoring and coaching, and regular check-ins with Jesuit Social Services staff.

Participant Daniel Mabil told the ABC that he “feels great [to be] part of the Australian community.”

“I am contributing. I have a sense of belonging now, that what I love is what I’m doing,” he said.

Read the story here: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-07-28/connecting-migrant-engineers-to-the-infrastructure-boom/9998970