If you're from a country other than Australia or have a diverse cultural background, or if English is not your first language, we can help you turn your life experience into a career. Whether you're new to jobseeking or looking for a career change, or you need to skill up with some training to kickstart your future, we can help!
Free and friendly advice
Jobs and Skills Centres are located across Perth, and assist people from a Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CaLD) background with a specialist service to access education, training and employment related services so that they can live independently in the community. The Multicultural Services Centre of WA (MSC) provides this specialist service and has been supporting and assisting people with this since 1980.
All services provided by Multicultural Services Centre of WA are available to people living anywhere in Western Australia and are delivered from offices in Mirrabooka (north metropolitan), Morley (north metropolitan), North Perth (north metropolitan) and Cannington (south metropolitan).
Speak to someone from Multicultural Services Centre of WA. Centres are open from 9:00am - 4:30pm.Â
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Specialist support
We also offer free specialist support for culturally and linguistically diverse (CaLD) people, through services provided by the Multicultural Services Centre of WA (MSC), at Jobs and Skills Centres located in Perth.Â
At these specialist centres you can talk to friendly staff who understand your situation and can help with information, services and support to help you with training, a job, or a career.
You bring your life experience, we'll help turn it into a career!
Centres are located in Mirrabooka, Morley and North Perth, and in Cannington. Follow the link below to find out more.
There's no limit to what you can achieve!
 Agnes Toluwade migrated from Nigeria in 2015 "Training opportunities at TAFE open up a new insight into new careers and skills in a non-threatening and easily adaptable manner. I would encourage the CaLD community to embrace training via TAFE, as many could be experiencing language barriers or other family demand barriers but there are supports available to overcome them." |
 Eduardo Pena migrated from Peru in 2006 "The traineeship has brought me so many benefits, from improving my communication skills and stretching my confidence, to having formal recognition of the new skills I have learnt. |
 Anna Herrera "I got lots of information about occupations and job prospects from my Jobs and Skills Centre, and was advised on training programs such as traineeships. |
Ready for new opportunities?
As a first step, it's good to look at the skills, abilities and experience you already have — you may have more than you know!Â
Skills come from all of your life, work, learning and leisure activities – and many of the skills that you have are exactly what employers are looking for, even skills that you may not think are work related. These are called employability skills — a set of skills that are needed in all industries and types of work — things like communication, teamwork, and problem solving.
Here's just a few examples of how your life experience gives you employability skills.
| What you've been doing | What skills and knowledge you could have |
|---|---|
| Travelling | Flexibility, planning and organising, time management, budget management, language/s, communication skills, negotiation skills, decision making |
| Managing a household | Budgeting and financial management; planning and organising; teamwork, time management; problem solving and decision making; creative thinking |
| Being on a committee | Teamwork; listening skills; verbal communication skills; business documents and practices; negotiation and conflict resolution; decision making; problem solving; time management; planning and organising; leadership |
| Cooking and home duties | Food preparation and safety; nutrition; kitchen and cooking skills; cleaning; maintenance; planning and organising; time management |
| Playing sport | Teamwork; leadership; communication skills; listening; negotiation and conflict resolution; physical flexibility; decision making; problem solving;Â time management; planning and organising |
| Being a parent | Communication skills; listening; negotiation and conflict resolution; problem solving; creative thinking; first aid; time management; planning and organising; leadership; teamwork |
| Volunteering | Depending on the type of volunteering you have done, this could be a long list! Think about teamwork; communication skills; time management; decision making; negotiation and problem solving; business documents; business practices; customer service and leadership |
There are just a few examples, but never think that you have "just" been a stay at home parent, or "not doing much" because you haven't been in paid employment... think about all aspects of what you do, and what you know, and how they relate to being in the workforce.
Useful resources
To help get you take stock of your life experiences and how they relate to employability skills, the following resources may be useful. You can find them all here
| Template: Recognising skills and abilities | Discover the skills and abilities that you already have |
| Checklist: Personal and transferable skills | This checklist will help you identify skills that are transferrable to the workplace |
| Fact sheet: Employability skills | Discover what skills you already have that are important to most employers |
| Fact sheet: Changing your career | Use this to help guide you towards a career that suits you |
| Template: Your action plan | Get started on your own career action plan and start setting goals for your future |
Supporting your goals
It's exciting to think about all of the opportunities ahead! We understand that there's a lot to get used to, when you are from a diverse cultural or language background, and you may need a little support to get you closer to your goals.
- You may feel that your English reading and writing skills aren't quite as strong as they need to be to get a job or get into training
- Or maybe you would like to boost your maths skills?
- Are you confident using digital technology?
- Perhaps you need some support to be able to participate in training?
We offer Foundation Skills and Equity courses; which focus on language, literacy and numeracy; and employability skills such as teamwork, problem solving, self-management, digital literacy and using technology – all key skills requirements for success in both training and the workplace.
We also offer a range of learning support options available through our Participation—Equity programs, where you may be eligible to receive:
- assistance with language and literacy;
- assistance with translation and language;
- mentoring and counselling; and
- assistance with things like meals, transport and child care.
Foundation Skills for your Future
Funded through the Australian Government, the Foundation Skills for your Future program is 100% free for eligible participants. It offers flexible training in reading, writing, maths, English language, and digital skills.Â
The program is available at North Metropolitan TAFE, and at South Metropolitan TAFE. It is also available in regional Western Australia, through selected training providers. Follow the links below, to find out more.
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Browse our occupation profiles and see what jobs interest you
We have hundreds of occupation profiles you can browse to find out about job responsibilities, working conditions, and training you may need.
Please note that the impact of COVID-19 is an unprecedented situation that will impact our ability to report accurate course information and employment trends at this time. Some employment trends and course availability information provided in occupation profiles may not be current.
What the workforce can offer you
Being part of the workforce here in Western Australia offers you many benefits. There's also some great reasons why we would love to see you join the workforce!
You are needed!
Did you know almost half of Australia's population was born overseas, or have at least one parent born overseas? Cultural diversity is one of the things that makes WA such a great place to live and work, and people of diverse cultural backgrounds bring unique skills and abilities to our workforce.
Employers and business will value the different perspectives and experiences you offer, which can help them to understand and communicate with multicultural clients and other businesses and give better customer service.
All of this means there's a whole load of new opportunities available for you, in a range of exciting jobs. There's really no barriers when it comes to your career options!
Financial independence and less money worries
Being in the workforce means more financial independence for yourself, and less money-related stress for the whole family. Whether you want to work part time to help with bills or spending money, or get back into a full career with a nice salary, it's a great feeling to have that financial support!
Culture-friendly workplaces
People from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds enrich the workplace, and many businesses now celebrate this! Whether it's a morning tea or lunch where everyone brings a dish from their country or culture, or celebrating significant cultural events, there's lots of ways to share stories and traditions.
If you're looking at getting into training, you'll find that WA TAFE colleges provide facilities such as prayer rooms. They will also be happy to discuss any particular cultural needs you have, and where possible accommodate these for you.Â
Family-friendly flexibility
More workplaces than ever are now embracing the idea of family-friendly work environments, and allow you flexibility over when, where, and how your work is accomplished. In fact; there's actually workplace legislation that encourages it! And working from home options are now becoming more available, which is a great help to people with family responsibilities.Â
Learning new things
Returning to the workforce opens up a whole world of learning — new skills, new experiences, new people — it can give you a whole new energy!Â
Gaining new skills and developing your knowledge through training is another great way to progress towards a career. If you're skilling up, most TAFEs and training providers offer delivery options to suit all kinds of schedules. These include on campus, full or part time, flexible delivery outside of business hours, online learning, or via virtual classrooms!Â
Social benefits
We sometimes don't really think that work equals friends, but most people have at least one friend at work. Some of us even have a workplace best friend! Getting back into the workforce will introduce you to new people, who can enrich your life.Â
Finding time to socialise is often challenging, and you may find yourself craving company — your workmates can offer that! And chances are there will be other people just like you, or from a similar background, so you'll be able to share stories and experiences.
Sense of accomplishment
Returning to the workforce can give you a fantastic feeling of pride and accomplishment. Even if you just start with small steps — maybe a low stress part time job — it feels good to know you're moving forward in a positive direction.Â
Options to skill up
If you need to skill up and build some confidence before you're ready to get into the workforce, we've got some great options for you!Â
We have free short course skill sets, targeted to specific job ready skills that can give you a head start on getting a job; job ready programs that include work experience so you gain real hands on experience; pre-traineeships and pre-apprenticeships to help you get an apprenticeship or traineeship; and full qualifications with course fees reduced by up to 72 per cent.
Plus we have support available to help you get into training, and specialised support programs if you would like to build some job ready skills. You can also get free advice and information about training at your local Jobs and Skills Centre
Free short courses: Skills Ready skill sets
Our range of Skills Ready skill sets have been developed in consultation with businesses and employers to deliver fast track training that will get you skills ready for jobs. They are available in areas including including hospitality, aged care, healthcare, retail, business, cyber security, green jobs, pool lifeguard, small business, agriculture, heavy haulage driving, mental health, construction.. and many more!
Whether it's a refresher or an introduction to a new field of work, these skill sets will bridge any gaps in your knowledge without too much of a time commitment — most run for only a few weeks and are available part time, and some can be done online. All the skill sets contain units from nationally accredited and recognised vocational education and training (VET) qualifications.Â
Some of these skill sets are 100% free for everyone, and others are 100% free for eligible persons including 15—24 year olds, jobseekers and people holding a pensioner concession or Health Care card.Â
Job Ready Programs — Pathways to employment
Are you looking for work, but need some skills and experience? How would you like to get on a pathway to employment, through a program that combines training and on the job industry experience that provides opportunities to connect with a job, an apprenticeship, traineeship, or further training and employment? Right now there's many new programs and projects all across Western Australia, creating a pipeline of work and fantastic job opportunities in a range of industries. and our Job Ready programs can give you a head start!
There's never been a better time to get on a pathway to employment, and we want to help you take advantage of all these opportunities! Our Job Ready Programs are short courses that combine training at a TAFE college or private training provider, with a period of industry placement where you'll gain real hands on experience in the workplace.
The programs are available in a range of industry areas where the jobs are — including aged care, disability support, and building and construction — and they're 100% free for eligible students including 15—24 year olds, jobseekers; and people holding a pensioner concession or Health Care Card.Â
Qualifications with course fees reduced by half or more
For some jobs or career goals, you'll need to have a full qualification. The good news is we have reduced the course fees* by up to 72 per cent on 210 qualifications for areas where skilled workers are in demand, to help you take advantage of these job opportunities!
Course fees are capped at only $400 annually for eligible students!
That means that concession-eligible students won't pay any more than $400 in course fees*, no matter what they actually add up to — this can save you hundreds of dollars! The $400 annual fees cap is available for people aged 15—24; jobseekers; people receiving Youth Allowance, AUSTUDY or ABSTUDY, and persons holding a pensioner concession or Health Care Card. The annual course fees cap is $1,200 for non-concession eligible students.
These reduced-fee qualifications are part of our Lower fees, local skills program, and they're available from selected TAFE colleges and private training providers across Western Australia.
With 210 qualifications to choose from, there's something for everyone — from automotive to aged care, tourism and hospitality to information technology, childcare to agriculture, pastry chef to viticulture, building and construction to electrical engineering, science, veterinary nursing, web design and development... too many to list here!Â
These are all nationally recognised and accredited qualifications. And remember, eligible students won't pay more than $400 in course fees for any of them! We have details about these reduced-fee Lower fees, local skills qualifications and how the annual fees cap works, plus a full list of what's available, on our Skills Ready page.
Show me the reduced-fee courses
*The fee reduction and annual fees cap applies to course fees only — other fees may apply. Please visit the Skills Ready page for full details.
Apprenticeships and traineeships
Doing an apprenticeship or a traineeship enables you to earn while you learn — you work and get paid, just like a regular employee, but you also complete a vocational education and training (VET) qualification. And they're not just for "young" people, there's no upper age limit.
Apprenticeships focus on licensed trades areas such as bricklaying, engineering, plumbing, hairdressing, mechanical, electrical etc.
Traineeships are generally for non-trade areas such as information technology, business, aged care and retail.Â
Pre-apprenticeships and pre-traineeships are designed to give you introductory-level skills and experience, to help you get into a full apprenticeship or traineeship.Â
The training component is delivered through a mix of on the job learning, and formal training with a TAFE college or training provider.
You can find out more about apprenticeships and traineeships here