Refugees are already equipped with the key skills to succeed in business and their contribution can be worth billions of dollars
Kinan Al Halabi arrived in Australia in 2016 as a refugee from the civil war in Syria. He spoke English, had a university degree, had taught computer science in Syria and had experience working for Swedish telecoms company Ericsson. Yet his qualifications weren’t recognised in Australia and obtaining an Australian degree would have taken three years, so the best job he could find was as an entry-level analyst for Telstra. But he resolved to better himself and on Sundays trained to become a driving instructor. Thanks to a loan from Thrive Refugee Enterprise, a non-profit, he was able to buy a car and start his own business. Now he’s so successful that he’s working flat out and is thinking of starting another venture.
Refugees like Kinan are admitted to Australia on the basis of humanitarian need. They have typically endured years of suffering and dislocation. Most arrive speaking little or no English, with scarcely any savings, few contacts and little knowledge of Australian life and business conditions. They don’t have a credit rating or collateral to apply for a bank loan. Whatever skills or qualifications they have are typically not recognised in Australia, and they often face discrimination too. Yet remarkably, refugees are the most entrepreneurial migrants in Australia – and are nearly twice as likely to start a business as Australian taxpayers in general.
Continue reading...from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2UbdTLZ
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