Network of Skilled Migrants Manawatū seeks new members and opportunities

Himani Samarakoon, Priyanka and Ari Mendtsoo are members of the Network of Skilled Migrants Manawatu.

Ari Mendtsoo was shocked when her boss, wearing T-shirt and shorts, asked her what kind of tea she wanted.

Mendtsoo is from Mongolia and says there staff would serve the boss tea, not the other way around.

In 2017, the civil engineer founded the Network of Skilled Migrants Manawatū. She was the first president and, along with current president Himani Samarakoon and vice-president Priyanka, is encouraging more people to join the network.

It started with three members and now has 75. It's run by a nine-member executive committee who are all volunteers.

The network supports skilled migrants, especially to help them gain employment related to their skills and experience. It runs workshops on CVs, interview skills, stress management and leadership, helps members gain New Zealand professional registration and provides networking opportunities through the Chamber of Commerce's BA5s.

It holds monthly meetings with guest speakers and mock interview workshops using recruitment agencies and employers.

Mendtsoo says Kiwi working culture can be very different to that of other countries and is something migrants need to adapt to.

The network worked with Palmerston North City Council to establish a paid internship scheme for skilled migrants. The council's infrastructure unit hosted two interns and now the parties are working on widening the internship to other parts of council.

Mendtsoo says as well as providing exposure to Kiwi working culture, internships help skilled migrants overcome the problem of no Kiwi experience.

The network is also having conversations with other companies and organisations seeking to establish more internships and training opportunities.

They would also like more businesses to get involved with the network and members can provide employers with cultural advice.

Mendtsoo says another challenge skilled migrants can face is the wording used in job advertisements. They might have the skills but not realise their skills are the same as what the ad specifics.

Samarakoon is a food technologist from Sri Lanka working as a science educator at Te Manawa. She has a Master of Science from the University of Tokyo and came to Palmerston North to study at Massey University.

She says communication was a challenge for the first two to three weeks as she couldn't understand her supervisor.

Priyanka is a IT engineer from India. She came to Palmerston North in 2013 to study at IPU. She is now combining work with studying for her second masters degree - a Master of Applied Management from EIT.

Priyanka says one challenge facing skilled migrants is that some employers only want New Zealand citizens or permanent residents. Even for employers willing to hire people on work visas they often need them for longer periods than left on the visa.

For more information visit skilledmigrants.org or find them on Facebook. Membership is free.