Farukh Tahery, who had four years of accounting experience in Afghanistan before moving to Australia, said she was told by employers she was 'not qualified'. She eventually found work at The Social Outfit, a fashion brand that hires refugee and migrant women, and helped design a skirt worn by Governor-General Sam Mostyn. Tahery said fashion was not a 'long-term career' and is studying at TAFE to requalify as an accountant.
Consuelo Castillo migrated from Chile with seven years of teaching experience, a bachelor's degree in secondary education, and a master's degree in early childhood and primary education. She said her only option was working as an assistant in after-school care. She now works as an early childhood teacher but hoped for a more linear pathway, saying the current system is 'creating problems within itself' because classrooms have more students and fewer teachers while qualified migrants could help.
Malini Raj, Executive Director of the Australian Multicultural Women's Alliance (AMWA), said migrant women who cannot get their overseas qualifications recognised are forced into 'survival jobs', trapping them in lower income, lower superannuation, and lower long-term prospects. She described the skills recognition process as 'costly, time consuming and complicated', estimating it takes an average of $50,000 and two years for a woman with overseas GP qualifications. SSI and AMWA have called for a national commissioner to oversee the skills recognition process, noting skills shortages exist in the very professions these women have trained for.