Former Myanmar refugees are learning new skills and English on the job with a Nelson insulation company. “Hi, I’m Johnsy Johnsy. I’m from Absolute Energy and I’ve come to install your insulation.” The greeting is simple, but it shows how …
Business owner Paul Brockie has been impressed with the skills of his Burmese staff, but says their English needed a little work so that his customers could have the same confidence. Paul, who owns Absolute Energy, an insulation company in Nelson, …
English Language Partners is one of five national organisations calling for more support to improve workplace English in New Zealand The organisation assists businesses and migrant staff with their language training needs, and Chief Executive Nicola Sutton says recognising the …
When he came to New Zealand, Yaro Panfylov couldn’t speak English. It was in Poland that he began to work in joinery and construction. Yaro wanted a trade that he could use anywhere in the world. The 33-year-old is not afraid …
YMCA employees hone their customer relation skills during tailored workplace classes Justin Dado has been working at the YMCA Hostel and Citylodge for four years, and now heads the housekeeping team comprised of five different nationalities, dealing with international visitors …
In this part of the country, more than 200,000 cows are milked, fed and cared for each day by Kiwis, as well as by a growing group of skilled migrants. Experienced farm hands are in high demand and, as Waikato …
Antonio Claridad, Felix Rodiano and Anthony Caintic agree New Zealand offers a wealth of work opportunities. The three arrived from the Philippines two years ago and are based at Fielden Metalworks, a sheet metal manufacturing company in Christchurch. Nigel Maxey, …
“Since the programme, my boys are a lot more out there,” says Rose Mauava, operations manager at Freshmax, a distribution warehouse in Auckland accessing ‘English for Employees’ run by English Language Partners Auckland South. “The biggest problem we had was …
What makes a family pack up their lives in Taiwan and move to Hamilton, New Zealand? In Melissa Hsu and James Lin’s case, it was education and lifestyle. But it was still a brave decision to leave well-paid and successful careers to …
Serving up delicious meals at Little India in Wellington is something Shrinand feels confident about. He has 20 years of cooking experience, but lacked the skills to speak English to waiting staff and delivery people. In India, Shrinand worked for …