As a Community Support Worker, Sahad offers empathy, provides guidance, and practical assistance to people in need.
Image: A man wearing a green and blue checked shirt with a backpack slung over his shoulder smiles at the camera.
Having a job does more than pay the bills; it brings security, peace of mind and, if you are lucky, purpose, a sense of worth and belonging. For asylum seekers, a job also provides the foundations to build a new life, but many face difficulties finding work due to barriers like navigating an unfamiliar environment, prejudice, lack of employment-ready skills and lack of connections.
Sahad fled Gaza and sought asylum in Australia, he also sought a better future for himself and his family. Sahad worked with National Immigration Support Services (NISS) Program Manager Thushy and his team, who helped him in his settlement journey. With their support, Sahad obtained a permit to work in Australia.
Panos Massouris, Director NISS said his team are there to help people seeking asylum secure a better future.
"Just like all Australians, people seeking asylum are often driven by the hope of a better future—one that is safer, more stable, and filled with greater opportunities for themselves and their families," said Panos.
"Sahad’s story is such an example, where our team was able to play a part in securing his pathway to a new future."
Back in his home country, finding a job was never a problem. Sahad’s university qualifications were well-regarded, as were his years of work experience, and he had professional connections. When he started looking for work in Australia, his job search was much harder than he expected. He encountered people who would not recognise his qualifications nor experience, he had no networks to draw on, and he was in an unfamiliar work environment.
At the same time, he had to adapt to a new country, a new language, a new culture and a completely new life.
In spite of the knockbacks he faced, Sahad’s perseverance remained unwavering. The NISS Employment team connected Sahad with the Palestinian Employment Mentor Program, a new partnership Life Without Barriers formed with Palestinian-Australian and Muslim communities. Sahad asked Parastoo, his Program’s Employment Support Worker, what more he could do to find a job.
The two men came of with an employment plan. Sahad attended resume preparation and interview practice workshops, as well as a few employment expos to learn about the employment market in Australia.
With support from his Life Without Barriers team, Sahad was referred to and accepted a job as a warehouse assistant at Harris Farm. While the job did not match his professional aspirations, Sahad was grateful for its stable income and positive work environment. He applied himself fully and his strong work ethic, reliability, and adaptability were evident. His job gave him the foundations to begin building his new life in Australia and work towards the career he wanted.
Through his job search process, Sahad came to accept that he would need to be requalified if he wanted to go back to his former career. Realising this was an opportunity to start over, Sahad explored other career options with his NISS Support team and shared the areas of work that interested him.
It was clear that Sahad has a passion for helping others and would become energised when talking about how he could use his experience to improve the lives of other people.
While still working at Harris Farm, Sahad enrolled in a Certificate III in Community Services. Sahad’s team supported him in taking this pivotal step and later worked with him to secure a new position as a Community Support Worker—a job that perfectly matched his aspirations!
As a Community Support Worker, Sahad offers empathy, provides guidance, and practical assistance to people in his community.
His personal experience and dedication have enabled him to build trusting relationships with those he supports, fostering a sense of care and understanding.
From the uncertainty of starting over in a new country to establishing himself as a compassionate and dedicated Community Support Worker, Sahad’s journey shows how determination, education, and community support can create transformative change.
Sahad’s perseverance in the face of adversity, combined with education and community support, created lasting change. He continues to positively impact many lives.
Learn the difference between refugees, asylum seekers and immigrants here.
The NISS Employment and Housing Team have been supporting Palestinian-Australian and Muslim communities in the Canterbury-Bankstown local government area with an Employment Mentor Program. The Program promotes social cohesion and improves the emotional and social safety of communities affected by the conflict in Gaza.
Guided by Palestinian and Muslim community leaders, and working closely with local government, multicultural organisations, local employment agencies, educational bodies, and small business networks, the Program implements initiatives to reduce recruitment, workplace, and cultural barriers; improve individual employability; strengthen financial independence, and foster a sense of belonging within the broader Australian community.
In 2024, the NISS team supported 22 individuals and their families in this program - providing job-ready services, finance and legal workshops aligned to work and housing opportunities, and linkages with other organisations in support of health and wellbeing, finance, migration, family support, cultural, religious, and safety issues.
