Transitions. Transitions Services & Business Case. Accessing the skills of refugee engineers and business professionals

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1 Transitions Transitions Services & Business Case Accessing the skills of refugee engineers and business professionals

2 Frequently Asked Questions Who are refugees? A refugee is someone who has been given safety from persecution, under the UN Refugee Convention They were forced to leave their country of origin. Having been granted their status by the UK government they are not asylum seekers ; they are refugees. Are refugees allowed to work? Yes. Refugees are permitted to work in the UK in any profession and at any skill level. They do not require a visa. They have specific Refugee Status biometric card and a UK National Insurance number. refugee-permission-to-work. Many employers are not aware of this and mix refugees up with migrants or students or asylum seekers. What s the problem? Syrian graduate mechanical engineer with 10 years experience: I came across a lot of obstacles for applicants like myself. In the internship section, applicants need be studying. For industrial placement, applicants experience should not exceed 12 months. For experienced applicants, these need recent (ie UK) experience & be eligible to apply for UK Incorporated or Chartered Engineer registration. I can apply for IEng but have no recent UK experience Few employers are aware that refugee professionals are rarely hired, despite being (for example) accountants, engineers or lawyers. The UK unemployment rate of refugees is extremely high at around 70% 1 - around twelve times the UK national average. Around 25% of refugees in the UK are highly skilled 2. Non-employment is a cumulative effect of CV gaps caused by forced migration and a need for orientation between refugees and employers. There is a lack of easily accessible information about the entitlement of refugees to work. UK Refugees have full permission to work. 1 London Enriched GLA Refugee Integration Strategy 2009 p Transitions: Accessing the skills of refugee professionals

3 Example Business Case for: Refugee Engineers and Business Professionals Work Experience Programme - UK This case study has kindly been provided by Arcadis UK Across Europe we are working on initiatives in response to the Refugee Crisis. Utilising the strengths and knowledge of our business. All of these initiatives have the intention of us living up to our commitment of Improving the quality of life. UK Proposal The UK would also like to offer work experience placements to suitable refugee candidates who are currently residing in the UK. We are working with a social enterprise organisation, Transitions London CIC to assist us with being matched to appropriate candidates. On 30th March members from The Talent Acquisition Team, International HR and Learning and Development met with 7 refugee candidates and two representatives from Transitions London for a recruitment workshop. The event focused on CV skills and acted as a mutually beneficial sharing and learning session to widen our understanding of the challenges that refugees face in the market. As a result of the workshop the project team proposes the design and implementation of Work Experience Placements for suitable refugee engineer and business candidates. Benefits to the Business Exploring a new and expanding talent pool in the UK. Refugees have the right to work in the UK and the ability to study (paying domestic fees) Motivated individuals who are actively seeking meaningful employment to better their careers and family. Candidates comprehensively supported by Transitions pre-interview and throughout with qualifications assessments, transferable skills mapping, professional body engagement support and presentation/interview skills coaching. Development opportunity for the line managers, business sponsors and buddy. Opportunity to develop coaching skills and effective communication Opportunity to hire experienced individuals for the same cost as a summer placement/graduate Recommendation Six month work placements paying the London Living Wage for selected candidates. The Workshop clearly demonstrated that there are employable, degree educated candidates with a wide range of experience and skills. However, given their situation they are struggling to find suitable employment due to a lack of relevant UK experience. These Work Experience placements will give these candidates a solid foundation enabling them to ultimately find permanent and suitable roles within or the external market. Although qualified and able, the backgrounds and skills of these individuals vary widely and therefore, many are not suited to current open vacancies within the business. The business needs to understand that these placements will not necessary contribute to fee earning work, however, should be seen as a Corporate Social Responsibility effort coinciding with living up to our aim of Improving the Quality of life and showing our commitment to Diversity and Inclusion in the UK.

4 Example Business Case for: Refugee Engineers and Business Professionals Work Experience Programme - UK This case study has kindly been provided by Arcadis UK Sponsorship Request UKLT In order for these placements to be successful the project needs a sponsor from the UKLT. Each candidate will need a Business Sponsor to ensure that they are gaining valuable experience as well as a Buddy who can provide much needed guidance and assistance with understanding the culture and how to navigate the organisation. Costs Salary = London Living Wage = 9.75 per hour = 19,013 per annum. L&D/Training Costs = 1,000 per candidate (estimate) Transitions 6 month supported placement fee 600 per candidate 6 month placement fee will apply, refundable if candidate is offered further hire after placement. Additional Costs to consider If the placement ultimately leads to a permanent role a 15% agency fee will apply (with the above fee deducted and based on annual salary) Time and effort from the UKLT Member/Business Sponsor/Buddy and wider team Current Candidates: First Name Surname Profession Comments GBL/Business Area T A Mechanical Engineer Grad Level Mechanical Engineering - CAD Infrastructure - Energy M B Engineering Administrator Tech Admin Business Advisory M M Mechanical Engineer Mechanical Engineer Design HVAC Buildings/Infrastructure K N Civil Engineer Project Controls Infrastructure P S IT Engineer IT Support 1st Line Support (Possible IT Business Advisory) Enabling Functions - IT B Y Mechanical Engineer Mechanical Engineer Fire Safety Buildings or Infrastructure Next Steps Once Business Sponsorship and agreement has been made in principle second interviews will be set up with the candidates to explore skills in more detail and introduce the candidates to the business line. Expected start date: end of May 201x.

5 Transitions Recruitment Service: Engineering and Business Services Skill and talent are brought into your business that meet your business requirements. The team at Transitions have a rigorous matching service that makes it easy to support refugee professionals Jen Smith, Group Head of Diversity, Circle Housing Group Contract and Permanent Hire: Use us to find accountants, engineers, IT professionals and others. 15% standard fee of annual starting salary. See T&Cs for sliding scale for small organisations. organisations. Hiring after an Internship: If your intern successfully competes for a job with your organisation, our referral fee is 15% of starting salary with refund of 600 internship fee.

6 Transitions 3-6 Month Internship Service: Engineering and Business Services Paid * work experience for mature refugee professionals Demonstrating commitment to an equitable labour market 3-6 months internships Administration flat-rate fee 600 *We recommend paying interns the equivalent of the London Living Wage What does our no obligation internship provide? Services to Organisations Carefully selected skilled candidates Structured and monitored process Diversity and CSR initiative Services to Candidates Reflective learning journal Collaboration with professional bodies Peer mentoring by Transitions Job application targeting, feedback & guidance Mock interviews with corporate volunteers and Transitions

7 CSR Staff Volunteering: Coaching Workshops In-house workshop benefits include: Fulfill corporate social responsibility objectives Engage 1 to 1 with candidates to develop jobsearch skills Refugee professional guest speaker Insights into challenges of refugee professionals career journeys Coaching for effective presentation Practice interviews reinforce positive practice Share job search advice and experiences Exchange organisational expertise Between 5 and 10 employees Half day: 400 Full day: 650, includes facilitation and materials

8 Case Study I ve benefited a lot from this opportunity of on-job six month paid traineeship. I feel integrated with the job market, regained lost self-confidence, have gained knowledge of work requirements by UK employers, use of modern technology (hard/soft) at work & improved my communication skills. Clockwise, left to right; Basheer Youssef - Fire Engineer Victoria Ferguson - Head of International HR (Arcadis) Mubbashir Bashir - Project Administrator Helen McCarthy - Lead Sponsor & People Director (Arcadis) 6 Month Training Programme Internship Experienced Hire the positive action pilot program we regard as very successful with a good permanent hire percentage and we plan to continue to invest further this year and develop further the learning program content and framework Helen McCarthy Lead Sponsor and People Director (Arcadis). Transitions enquiries@transitions-london.co.uk Telephone: Member of Career Development Institute and Social Enterprise UK