Kunchok Tsering was born in Tibet and owned a small shop in his home country while also working as a taxi, bus and truck driver for many years. He arrived in Australia via India and studied English for three years in Newcastle before moving to Sydney to find work.
Once he began his job hunt, Kunchok realised he still needed to improve his communication skills and self-confidence to give him the best chance of securing meaningful work. He enrolled in MTC’s Skills for Education and Employment program in January 2023 and concentrated on improving his literacy and job readiness.
While he was still studying with MTC, Kunchock secured a paid internship with The Bread & Butter Project, a social enterprise that provides training and employment pathways for refugee visa holders who aspire to become bakers. Kunchok works at the bakery and receives on the job training. After 6-8 months, he will achieve a Certificate II in Baking, a qualification which will increase his chances of finding a stable job as a baker.
Since studying with MTC and securing the internship, Kunchok says he is much happier and more confident. He enjoys practicing his English so he can communicate better with his colleagues and their customers. As well as achieving his employment goal, Kunchok says his social life has also improved as he has made many good friends from his classes and his workplace. “They are friendly and supportive whenever I need help or company. I hope my positive learning experience encourages other jobseekers to start or keep learning English. When you have troubles during your learning, the MTC trainers are always available to help. It is important to improve digital skills and employment skills while learning English because these skills are important for job-hunting.”