Name, Title, Company/Location and AGE

Dennis Morgan
Employment and Training Coordinator, Catholic Charities Migration and Refugee Services. 38
Five years Refugee employment, fifteen with Refugees and internally displaced.

Which aspect of my job I like best:
Seeing people change as they become vested in their employment. I see everyday people begin finally to put some normalcy in their lives. Sometime we forget how important work is in that process. My clients come from four different continents. They come with a broad spectrum of abilities and skills. I've seen people succeed over and over. Each client is an individual and seeks different things, but it is very satisfying to see them create a stable environment for many times the first time in their lives.

My Most unusual job placement:
Each business is unique. I once placed four Bantu men in a Forge in Cleveland. None of us had ever seen one the day we drove up and applied. Called to a meeting a week later I actually got to see what they do. First I met with the owner who explained the problem. Next I met with his son the foreman who explained different unrelated problems. The crew chief just looked at me and shook his head.
It was a big hammer, bigger than I had ever seen three stories tall. These four Bantu men were actually forging. They let me watch, one of many safety hazards. To this day I can’t believe what they did for ten dollars an hour. They were trained poorly, but they still got 90% of the job in the first week. They worked in their own section and mostly on their own. They fired them after 10 days because of some simple details they failed to explain. I learned sometimes people have no idea what they are seeing. There isn’t much you can do. We can hope to change peoples thinking, but not always understand what they believe to be true. We moved in a positive direction. One of those men has worked with the Cleveland Schools for five years now.

Advice for recently entered into field:
You must read and study all the best practice material you can find. They call them technical providers for a reason. Each person has their own style and technique, but yours will be unique. Understand what others in your profession are doing. Then always be prepared for something new. Strategies will help you open doors, but what you find inside you can never tell. After five years new things occur on a regular basis. Nothing should surprise you in this job. Keeping lines of communication open with employers and responding to their needs is vital. Many employers appreciate having someone to call who knows their employee and can offer practical advice and support. They are a business and that should never be forgotten.

The key to refugee employment and life is positive momentum. Thing will go wrong, but keep going in a positive direction. I try not to overreact to difficulties or victories. The best way I can serve my clients is to do my job. It is impossible to hide my mistakes. If my clients can't work they can't pay their rent and that is simply unsustainable. The best we can hope is to find our clients jobs where other workers are happy to come to work. There are less of those places in the new “new”, but they are out there and should always be our goal.

Parting shot (please add anything you'd like here):
Having worked with well over 1000 refugees that last five years, my works offers unique retirement benefits; I am very interested to see what the next 40 years brings my clients and their new home here in Cleveland.