Diploma of Community Services

Employer: The Link Youth Health Service 

Heetham Hekmat completed a Diploma of Community Services at the end of 2019 and is now a community service worker at Headspace and The Link Youth Health Service in Hobart. He arrived in Australia as a refugee in 2012. He fled his home in Iraq as a teenager and spent seven years waiting in Syria for safe settlement. When he arrived in Hobart, he had very limited English and no qualifications. During his time living in Australia, Heetham has completed eight certificates and a diploma. He has full-time work where he provides direct support and information to marginalised young people to help protect their human rights.

Heetham spent seven years studying in the VET sector, with the final three years focused on specific training in community services. He also completed a university preparation course at University of Tasmania in 2016. A love for learning, being curious about society and Heetham’s willingness to challenge his values and himself led him to community services. His study has exposed him to new ways of thinking and taught him to respect others despite their differences.