Ukrainian refugee Ganna Shyshko has finally found what she's been looking for her entire life - the chance to help other people.
Ms Shyshko is one of 24 people graduating from the refugee internship program at Service NSW.
The three-to-six month paid internship aims to help refugees build their confidence in an Australian workplace and get a local employment reference.
More than 100 refugee interns have been employed since the program launched in 2017.
Ms Shyshko came across the internship program on Facebook after a friend invited her family to Sydney.
She fled with her husband and daughter from home town Chernihiv near the northern border, which was overrun by Russian soldiers in the first hours of the invasion last year.
"I was lost," she told AAP.
"So I started as a shy girl but now I've been here for one year, and I'm already helping people here, and I help Ukrainians."
The program also aims to improve career pathways in Australia for refugees who already have qualifications from their home countries.
The Australian economy would benefit if more was done to harness the skills of migrants and refugees, according to the Billion Dollar Benefit report launched in Canberra on Tuesday.
Ms Shyshko was a primary school teacher in Ukraine but could not find work in an Australian school.
Now, she loves working to help people in NSW.
"I think I I have found what I was looking for my whole life," she said.
"It's not just a job. It's my passion and I love Australia. I love Australian people. I love its diversity, its culture, its democracy.
"But on the other hand, Ukraine is my dream."
