Fantastic news! The Johnson Group were "Highly Commended" at the 2009 EEO Trust Work & Life Awards in the category of Tomorrow's Workforce.

The EEO Trust Work & Life Awards celebrate organisations which actively invest in their businesses by investing in their diverse workforces. The Awards attracted 55 entries this year and were celebrated at the Auckland War Memorial Museum (Kirsty, Leigh and Campbell attended from The Johnson Group).

From the EEO Trust Press Release:

"Every organisation that entered this year's EEO Trust Work & Life Awards is working hard to make a positive difference to the lives of those they work with, knowing that the payoffs show in productivity, loyalty and better bottom lines," says Dr Reed. "The employers are of all sizes, from all sectors, and they demonstrate why long-term staff development is important, even when the economic environment gets tough."

Our entry focussed on our work with the Skilled Migrant Programme. Workplace Communication for Skilled Migrants (otherwise known as the Skilled Migrant Programme) is a programme of intensive communication skills training for underemployed or unemployed skilled migrants. The course is designed for permanent residents who have a Bachelors degree or higher and whose first language is not English. Participants must already have a good level of language proficiency and at least three years' work experience in their profession, preferably within the last five years.

The programme helps participants to develop appropriate communication skills in professional workplaces, to improve cultural understanding of New Zealand workplaces and to gain New Zealand workplace experience so that they can gain professional employment.

The Skilled Migrant Programme is a unique partnership between three different sectors: education (Victoria University of Wellington), voluntary (Rotary International) and business (The Johnson Group). The course begins with five weeks full time classroom preparation at the School of Linguistics and Applied Language Studies at Victoria University. This is followed by six weeks’ internship with a Wellington employer, with job placement and interviews organised by The Johnson Group, and then a final week in the classroom.

The programme has its origins in the awareness of the significant number of immigrants to New Zealand who are unemployed or are employed in jobs that do not reflect their qualifications, such as driving taxis or stocking supermarket shelves. Few participants have had any previous success in applying for professional jobs.

The Skilled Migrant programme also seeks to redress New Zealand’s skill shortages and low productivity.

If you'd like to know more about the Skilled Migrant programme, please contact Pia Penaranda at pia@thejohnsongroup.co.nz