Moving to a new country can be very daunting, especially when there is a language barrier preventing you from continuing to pursue the career that you love.  

TAFE NSW AMEP student, Saif Noori grew up in Iraq where he completed a Bachelor in Medicine and Surgery and spent four years working as a medical officer.

After a long journey, in May 2018 Mr Noori arrived in Australia. As a new migrant with limited English, he enrolled in the Adult Migrant English Program (AMEP) at TAFE NSW Lidcombe so that he could continue to work as a doctor, a career that is forecast to see 21,000 job openings over the next five years.[1]

Mr Noori said, “The first few months in Australia were hard as my English was not good enough and I didn’t have the courage to use the vocabulary I had. I decided to enrol in AMEP at TAFE NSW Lidcombe and had a goal to pass the Australian Medical Council (AMC) exam and the Occupational English Test (OET).”

This is exactly what he did.

After completing his 510 hours of English lessons, Mr Noori passed both his AMC and OET exams and is on track to work as a doctor again.

“AMEP really improved my English skills, it helped me practice my speaking and improved my writing skills and fluency. It also helped me study medicine, which I used to do on my bus rides to TAFE NSW Lidcombe.

“I would encourage all new migrants to enrol in the AMEP at TAFE NSW as it helps you to learn English, build connections in the community and boost your self-confidence.”

Now eligible for the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency’s Registration and able to work under supervision, Mr Noori is preparing to complete his final exams, which will see him recognised as a fully qualified doctor.

“I loved my job in Iraq. Saving lives and giving back to the community was something that I am very passionate about and I can’t wait to start giving back to the Australian community.”

Funded by the Australian Government, TAFE NSW is the main provider of AMEP in NSW, providing up to 510 hours of free English language tuition to eligible migrants and humanitarian entrants to assist them with settlement in Australia.

To register for the program visit www.tafensw.edu.au/amep or to learn more about studying at TAFE NSW visit www.tafensw.edu.au or call 131 601.

Media contact: Emma Cawley, TAFE NSW Media and Communications Business Partner, mobile 0412 478 415, emma.cawley1@tafensw.edu.au