New project aims to 'transform' lives of refugees by helping them into employment

A new project was launched in Ealing on Wednesday (June 12) which hopes to “transform the experiences of refugees” in west London by helping them gain employment.

Working West London, a scheme funded by the Big Lottery Fund and European Social Fund, aims to help refugees in London find jobs and build careers based on existing and potential skills.

The launch, hosted by ELATT and partners at Ealing Town Hall, allowed refugee organisations to network and learn from each other, before hearing stories from guest speakers and refugees.

Journalist and author Yasmin Alibhai-Brown, a regular columnist for the i newspaper and the London Evening Standard, came to the UK in 1972 from Uganda and was the keynote speaker at the event.

Sally Day, head of marketing and communications at ELATT, said the project hopes to make a “substantial” difference the lives of refugees.

“The project aims to make a substantial and material difference to participants' lives,” she said.

Maximise skills

“Helping them gain a renewed sense of confidence and self-worth, a recognition of what they are able to offer the local labour market and a clear path to gaining the skills they need to reach their labour market destination.

“Many refugees have a wealth of skills and occupational experience which they bring with them when they arrive in the UK.

“This project will help them maximise on those skills so that they can use them to build their new lives and take an active part in the diverse west London community in which they live.”

In 2010, an Ipsos Mori survey found that more than 50% of refugees employed within 21 months of achieving refugee status were over-qualified.

On top of this, despite refugees having a mix of skills and experience, most struggle to gain employment, with 31% currently employed in London.

A recent survey also found that 82% of refugees did not know where to get advice about courses and their education entitlement, something the project hopes to change.

Nafisah Graham-Brown, head of like skills and community at ELATT, suggests the project has the power to “transform the experiences” of London refugees.

She said: “We are delighted to be leading this project and playing our role towards developing a stronger and more integrated community sector in West London.

“ELATT has a history of working across London to ensure our projects get to those communities who need the type of individualised support we give.

“This project has the power to transform the experiences of refugees settling in London and improve our multicultural society in 2017."

The Working West London partnership includes Action West London, 5E and Train2Work.

Keep up to date with the latest news in west London via the free getwestlondon app.

You can set up your app to see all the latest news and events from your area, plus receive push notifications for breaking news.

Available to download from the App Store or Google Play for Android.