Our Refugee Support Service welcomed more than 400 people to Scotland’s biggest ever refugee job fair in Glasgow City Chambers recently.
The event on 20 March brought together refugees looking for work with employers, keen to learn about the valuable skills and experience New Scots can contribute to the job market.
Refugees and people seeking asylum met with more than 40 employers and organisations offering support to find out more about volunteering, training, apprenticeship and employment opportunities.
We caught up with people attending to get thoughts on our Refugee Job Fair.
Employability Officer Anita Yu explained why events like these are so important: “Refugees face a lot of barriers to employment. The UK job market and recruitment process might look very different to what they have experienced in their home countries and that can be hard to navigate.
“Often people will have been out of work for a long time, because of rules preventing them from working while their asylum claim is processed. That can really affect your confidence. People who are very qualified and have loads of great experience could be applying for jobs and hearing nothing back, which can be very frustrating and demoralising.
“This job fair is a chance for refugees and people seeking asylum to meet employers, break the ice and get a better understanding of the wide range of jobs, training and volunteering opportunities that are available. They can build connections, speak directly to the employers and ask questions in a safe environment. Having face to face conversations with employers can really help people see how their existing skills and experience could be transferrable to other jobs.
“For employers, it’s a great opportunity to meet potential candidates they might not reach through the usual recruitment channels. People who settle in Scotland come with all these really valuable skills, knowledge and qualifications. Often, they just need a little bit of upskilling to help unlock all of that.”
“Hopefully this event will help people find work and take another step towards their ideal career destination. I’d like refugees to come away feeling a bit more confident and aware of the opportunities that are out there for them. It would also be great if it led to more employers engaging with Scottish Refugee Council and other similar organisations, so we can work together to offer more opportunities for people from refugee backgrounds.”
Employers from a wide range of fields attended, including construction, manufacturing, civil engineering, banking, public transport, hospitality, professional services, tech and health and social care. A team from HSBC banking group was also on hand to provide one to one advice on CVs, job applications and interview skills.
The job fair was organised as part of a series of events to mark the 40th anniversary of Scottish Refugee Council. It was run in partnership with Breaking Barriers, Bridges Programmes, the Department for Work and Pensions, Glasgow Futures (at Glasgow City Council), Skills Development Scotland and Refugee Employment Network.
First Bus and Strathclyde Passenger Transport (SPT) kindly agreed to cover bus and subway travel expenses for refugees and asylum seekers coming to the event.
Our Refugee Support Service provides information, training and support to help refugees build skills and confidence to look for work in Scotland. We also collaborate with a wide range of employers across the country to make recruitment more inclusive and accessible for people from refugee backgrounds.
Learn more about how we’re helping refugees find work in Scotland.
Image by Angela Catlin for Scottish Refugee Council
