Skilled Migrant Professionals February 2015 | Page 30

Migration

J

ohn was involved in the early establishment of Keystart as Executive
Director on the Board but for the past six years, he’s been at the
helm as CEO.
John is keen to point out that Keystart is a platform for all people regardless of their cultural background or gender. A few generations back
John’s family immigrated to Australia from Ireland. He is clearly proud of
his heritage and their work ethic.
He defines Keystart’s core values and strategies as those that reflect a
commitment to diversity in its community. The company originated for
those people that were finding it difficult to access bank finance.
“Our services assist migrants who have no banking history, are sole
parents, or women who were in a situation where they were finding it
difficult to access bank finance, and also people with disabilities,” he
explained.
“In order to relate to the different segments in the community we
recruited a workforce with people of a variety of backgrounds.
“It is important we understand our clients. Our staff were keen to
work at Keystart because they want to make a difference across the
broad spectrum of our community.
“Keystart products are very diverse and also include helping Western
Australia’s indigenous population.”
In terms of gender, at least 50 per
cent of the organisation’s client-base is
female and with couples, the women,
more often than not, initiate the first
contact for a home loan.
“At Keystart we are also actively re-

cruiting a workforce that can to relate to first home buyers who are
generally under the age of 35. The majority service delivery staff are
in that age bracket.
“We offer a shared equity program so people on lower incomes just
starting out in their careers can apply for and service a loan. As their
earnings increase they can buy additional equity.”
The Department of Housing has had a very successful shared equity
program in which Keystart has provided the loan component. The program called ‘Opening Doors’ has assisted migrants. In recent years, the
organisation has seen an increasing number of Africans coming through
the scheme. Because of this John became interested in forging relationships with associations that represented migrant groups to understand
their diverse and specific needs.
He became aware of the issues facing these groups and embarked on
a plan to offer them work experience opportunities to build their local
referee prospects, some have gone onto full employment. The initiative
also provided the organisation with explicit knowledge in understanding
the cultural implications of its migrant clients to make them feel welcome.
Keystart was established in 198