‘No matter your race, your religion, your culture, your country and where you are from, the important thing is that we are all human beings who deserve love, equality in rights and values.’
These are the words of Columbian expat and Multicap Employee Yeimy Baquero’s on this World Harmony Day.
World Harmony Day – March 21 – is about celebrating and recognising diversity and brings together Australians from all different backgrounds.
Yeimy, 34, arrived in Australia in July 2019 to start a new life with her then partner.
A registered nurse (RN) in her home country, Yeimy is working towards gaining employment as an RN in Australia.
She has spent the past five years since arriving in Australia studying English at Tafe and working in a range of jobs from cleaning and now as a production packer at Multicap’s Makeables Tingalpa co-packing facility.
Yeimy is one of a number of new Australians employed at Makeables Tingalpa through a first of its kind initiative, creating a win-win for people with disability and new Australians.
Makeables has partnered with Multicultural Australia to offer jobs to new Australians and create an inclusive workplace for supported employees.
Yeimy hopes that by working at Makeables, her English language skills will improve, while also learning how to support people with disability.
“I would like to gain Australian citizenship, complete my general English course at Tafe, which will assist me to undergo my preliminary examination for nursing in Australia,” she said.
“I am really enjoying working alongside the supported employees – I am learning so much by working as part of a team.”
For Yeimy, it is very important to meet people from different cultures because they enrich her personal knowledge.
“All people, despite different thoughts and cultures, are human beings who deserve equal conditions and equal respect,” she said.
Multicap’s Employment Operations Manager Nick Ferre said the ‘reverse integration workforce program’ has been incredibly beneficial for everyone involved.
‘It’s a terrific opportunity to enhance our existing employment programs at Makeables Tingalpa, by providing purposeful employment to people who are refugees, asylum seekers and from migrant backgrounds, who were potentially long-term unemployed, struggling to maintain meaningful employment in Australia or would like to contribute to society through purposeful employment,’ he said.
‘And working alongside our amazing, supported employees is a fantastic opportunity to create inclusivity for people from all walks of life under one roof.’ For more information on Multicap’s employment opportunities, visit Careers | Multicap.