‘From surviving to thriving’: Navitas Skilled Futures and Welcome Merchant empower refugee and migrant entrepreneurs with free online learning
Starting a business in a new country isn’t easy – but with the right support, it’s possible. A new community project developed between Navitas Skilled Futures (NSF) and Welcome Merchant aims to empower refugee, asylum seeker and migrant entrepreneurs by providing free digital and financial literacy sessions.
Navitas Skilled Futures is supporting refugees and migrants to achieve financial freedom and pursue their business dreams with a free digital workshop program delivered in partnership with social enterprise, Welcome Merchant.
Running fortnightly online from 30 April to 9 July, the free workshops will be available on Zoom, giving busy business owners and budding entrepreneurs across the country access to essential business-building skills. Participants will learn the basics of writing a business plan, invoicing, digital security, professional communication and more. This will equip them with the skills needed to take confident steps towards starting or strengthening their own businesses.
Delivered in accessible English, the sessions not only build financial and digital literacy, but also help improve participants’ everyday English language skills – an essential tool for navigating life and work in a new country.
Aaron Caulfield, AMEP Program Manager at NSF, says the series is all about giving people real, usable knowledge that makes a lasting difference.
“NSF’s self-employment and financial literacy programs are designed to enable refugees and migrants to find and maintain employment that aligns with their skills, knowledge and goals,” he said.
“Partnering with Welcome Merchant to deliver financial and digital skills training with flexibility online is enabling more business owners and entrepreneurs to benefit from the economic engagement outcomes we pride ourselves on. Financial literacy empowers refugees and migrants to proudly contribute to Australia in a meaningful way and show their children what is possible in the future.”
Welcome Merchant Founder, Marjorie Tenchavez, has seen first-hand the value of this training for aspiring migrant and refugee entrepreneurs.
“Many of the people we work with have incredible business ideas and strong work ethics, but they often struggle with understanding the financial side of running a business in Australia,” she said.
“Things like GST, superannuation and invoicing – these are all new concepts to them. Without financial literacy, even the best business ideas can struggle to survive.”
Making business skills more inclusive
The workshops are designed with cultural and linguistic diversity in mind. NSF Trainers deliver the sessions in a way that’s easy to follow, respectful and supportive – no previous experience required.
“The training will be a game-changer for our community,” Marjorie added.
“The way NSF explains things like business banking, tax obligations and pricing strategies will make it easy to grasp. It will give them confidence in making financial decisions.”
More than just practical skills, the program gives participants something deeper – belief in their ability to succeed in a new country.
“One participant told me that before the training, they felt like they were just ‘getting by’, but now they feel like they have control over their business finances. That shift from surviving to thriving is what this training makes possible. It’s not just about understanding the numbers. The training helps participants set fair and sustainable pricing, save for taxes and plan for growth,” she said.
“Many migrant entrepreneurs undercharge because they don’t know how to factor in their costs,” Marjorie added.
“The NSF training helps them see the bigger picture – so they can build a business that works, long term.”
Supporting new beginnings
Whether someone is starting from scratch or trying to rebuild a business after migration, the workshops aim to provide knowledge, language and community support to move forward with confidence.
“This training is just the beginning,” Marjorie said.
“With more support – like mentorship and multilingual resources – we can keep empowering entrepreneurs to build the lives they imagined when they came to Australia.”