If your references aren't very strong and your college diploma isn't helpful, then there's only two solutions I see to this. First, get various low-paying jobs where the employers simply care if you can read and write in English. Second, take several courses at a community college, college or university. You could even consider earning a second diploma, certificate or degree. The latter would be more helpful in the long run. You may consider looking into co-op programs where you can get some work experience while studying, so your resume becomes stronger and you'll get more solid references.

If you choose the university route, you may be able to get references from a few instructors (the higher their position the better it is for you) if you do well in their course and are on good terms with them. I was able to get several instructors to give references for various jobs I applied to. All but one were full professors, and one of the professors is the director of research in the particular area, another is the editor (or co-editor, not sure which one) of a few scientific journals, and another teaches at the Masters level as well as works alongside hospitals.

You can get similar if not better references by getting a degree or diploma in a certain area that you like. Along the way, you can also win certain academic awards or even scholarships and that looks amazing on the resume because it shows you're one smart cookie.