Iranian job seeker gains employment in clothing alterations in South Australia

MatchWorks job seeker Farideh came to Australia almost 10 years ago as a refugee from Iran with limited English and vision impairment.

Farideh registered with MatchWorks Norwood shortly after arriving in Australia and commenced language, literacy and numeracy (LLN) training.

MatchWorks employment consultant Adriana Spinelli said Farideh was progressing with the training but still required an interpreter for some appointments.

MatchWorks job seeker Farideh.

MatchWorks job seeker Farideh.

“We knew that Farideh had a background in clothing alterations in Iran, so I introduced her to our reverse marketer Alexis to discuss possible opportunities. I ensured Farideh continued to undertake her English studies and Alexis met with the owner of Queen of Stitches to discuss employment opportunities. The owner was keen to meet Farideh and ultimately offered her a work trial,” Adriana said.

“From the work trial, Farideh was offered employment and commenced with Queen of Stitches in February 2017. The role was originally to do alterations and customer service; however Alexis worked with the employer to split the functions of this role to allow Farideh to focus on her strengths in alterations, while continuing to develop her English skills.”

Farideh has been in employment with the Queen of Stitches for six months and loves her role. Her English is gradually improving and she is thankful for the support from MatchWorks and her employer.