The African Australian Inclusion Program offers six month paid internships at a major Australian corporation.
Since its inception in 2009 more than 80 per cent of its graduates have found full-time work.
Ali John is one of the program's success stories.
Today he is an analyst at National Australia Bank. But when he first arrivied in Australia in 2011 he had to take a job as a waiter, despite being a university educated IT professional in South Sudan.
Today, Ali John is an analyst at the National Australia Bank, but in 2011 became a waiter after moving to Australia despite his education. Source: SBS
"As Africans our biggest issue is getting into the Australian workforce, because our experience in Africa is completely irrelevant, finding a job is really hard and most people want local experience."
Unemployment in Australia's South Sudanese community is over 25 per cent. Ali John says he applied for 10 to 15 jobs a day, but like many of his friends was unable to find work in his industry and so took any job he could get.
"Most of my friends are really qualified people but they're just working in factories," he said.
Jesuit Social Services director Pamela Webb said it's difficult to make the step from labouring jobs to the corporate sector, particularly for migrants and refugees.
"It's so hard to get out of the factory, we know in any job you get defined by that job, often you need something to intervene."
For Mr John that was the African Australian Inclusion Program. Six months of paid work experience has turned into a career at a major Australian bank. He says the benefits of his employment have created a ripple effect in his community.
"The program helped me to help other people. My nephews look up to me. I became a role model to my family and the community, the program has given me a lot."
Zimbabwean-born Farayi Mutasa has an Australian university degree, but he too faced obstacles in joining the workforce. He says after months of applying for jobs, he eventually has to return to his previous occupation.
"I had to go back to warehousing, I was about to give up. I was discussing with my mother should I go back home and take care of her at least and look for other things because working in the warehouse is not what I wanted, it's not my passion."
Farayi Mutasi has an Australian university degree, but encountered trouble and spent months applying for jobs. Source: SBS
A 2013 Parliamentary Inquiry found some common employment barriers for migrants and refugees included indirect discrimination - such as employers preferring applicants with Anglo-Saxon sounding names.
It also found the language barrier and a lack of Australian work experience as obstacles to full-time employment. This often results in migrants and refugees taking low skilled, low paying jobs.
"They have no networks either, so it's a lot harder to get referees, it's a lot harder to get people to advocate for you, there's no capacity to be introduced by your friends," said Pamela Webb from Jesuit Social Services, which runs the program in partnership with NAB.
About 160 participants have gone through the African Australian Inclusion Program and most have gone on to find employment.
"It's so hard to get out of the factory, we know in any job you get defined by that job, often you need something to intervene."
Farayi Mootasi is a month into his internship and he says the benefits are already overwhelming.
"They're really passionate, they really do their research and they're helping a lot of people. Even if it's just six months, it is a doorway that open up so many opportunities in Australia."
Employers also say they are benefitting from the program. Group Executive at the National Australia Bank Michaela Healey says the participants in the program bring an enthusiasm to the job that's rare to find.
"They've got wonderful rich stories and backgrounds, who are genuinely excited to experience life in Australia and particularly work for a large corporation."
The African Australian Inclusion Program operates in Melbourne and Sydney, with pilot programs in other states.
