(Image: Khadija and Malka hard at work during Belong’s recent Cleaner Futures training program)
When Acacia Ridge resident Khadija Aiden completed a recent cleaning training program with Belong, she ventured into the job market with the added challenges of limited English, low literacy and numeracy, and a lack of confidence accessing unfamiliar worksites by car or public transport.
Only weeks later, Khadija from Somalia along with fellow program graduate Malka Babiker from Sudan were hired as casual part-time cleaners with Builder’s Clean Brisbane; a team dedicated to cleaning construction work sites following the completion of jobs.
Khadija with Malka both speak the same language, and teaming them up was key to their employment success, says Belong’s Project Coordinator, Duc Truong.
“I set myself a challenge, thinking that if I can help Khadija into employment, the other graduates would be so much easier to place. I started reverse marketing these graduates to my employer contacts and also sought out new employers in the cleaning industry,” Duc said.
“While both of them are highly committed and hard-working, Malka has much stronger English skills. They also both live near each other in Acacia Ridge. I thought to myself that Malka could help Khadija by serving as her interpreter, as well as driving them both to changing building sites around Brisbane. I basically reverse marketed Khadija and Malka as a team,” he said.
The strategy paid off when Builder’s Clean Brisbane’s Managing Director, Gary Jensen, agreed to give the pair a go and offered them a paid work trial. Ongoing employment has since followed.
Belong’s “Cleaner Futures” program aims to create pathways into the domestic and commercial cleaning industries for local disadvantaged job seekers. The first student cohort, consisting entirely of women originally from Africa, graduated with a Certificate II in Cleaning in August 2018.
As part of the training, students had been introduced to the different types of cleaning, such as domestic, commercial and builders cleaning, with Khadija, Malka and several other participants expressing a strong interest in builders cleaning.
With a promising outcome on the cards, Duc went the extra mile, providing additional support to ensure that Khadija and Malka were able to settle into their new role.
“It involved quite a bit of logistical support and ongoing communication. I even drove to the building site a day before the work trial to provide the supervisor with information on them both, their strengths, and tips on how to best utilise them as a team, and to offer my support should the need arise.”
“I also met with Khadija and Malka before the trail for a little pep talk, encouraging them to be themselves, put in a good effort and make the most of this opportunity. The trial went well, feedback from the supervisors was positive, and thankfully Builder’s Clean Brisbane were happy to take them on,” he said.
Duc even helped them to overcome a minor hurdle on their second job located in a new housing development.
“They had the address of the building site, but couldn’t find it on the GPS map – the address was simply too new. They were slightly panicked, and sought out my help. I drove them to the new estate and helped them find the site. Things have been plain sailing since this little hiccup, and they are both now working three days a week. It’s been a very satisfying outcome for all of us.”