RAISE: Refugees Access Into Sustainable Employment
We have successfully submitted an EQUAL Refugee £1.5 million bid for a three year project beginning in September 2004 and concluding in December 2007.
The borough of Camden is characterised by a combination of significant unemployment among our local refugee population combined with identified skills shortages in the London labour market. The RAISE project aims to help refugees by:
- creating a dedicated employment routes team for refugees providing specialist information, advice and guidance, and sustained job matching activities working closely with employers
- empowering refugees to carry-out an evaluation and mapping of local English language service provision
- campaign for a national, regional and local ESOL strategy that incorporates the needs of refugees
- pilot an ESOL course for the construction industry
- pilot bi-lingual construction industry health and safety courses, and target the informal labour market
- research pre-entry ESOL course for those who require additional support before entry to full level ESOL classes
- pilot a Refugee Doctors Journal Club in North London, situated in Working Mens College, and provide advocacy and support to doctors on clinical placements within the National Health Service (NHS)
- produce and Employers Toolkit giving practical advice on employing refugees, promoting diversity, and matching the skills of refugees with employers
- pilot Home Office distribution of a welcome and induction pack listing services and regulations for Camden-bound refugees. RAISE will campaign for a central data collection and information sharing, including statistics on refugees, so that local authorities can target and design services effectively
- refugees to design a portal on Camden's website aimed at disseminating information to refugees and employers
- demonstrate how a combination of ESOL and work placements can lead to paid employment including placements within council libraries and the local construction industry
- empower and capacity build refugees to deliver services for themselves
- show how partnership working between agencies is key for future effective delivery
The RAISE development partnership is a multi-agency partnership consisting of:
- Camden Central Community Umbrella
- Camden Jobtrain
- Camden Training Network
- Communities Into Training & Employment
- Care Alliance Refugee Community Access Centre
- Federation of Iranian Refugees
- Somali Education & Development Agency
- Congolese Action Group in the UK
- St Pancras Refugee Centre
- North Central London Strategic Health Authority
- Haringey Primary Care Trust
- Working Mens College
- Construction Industry Training Board
- Job Centre Plus
- John Laing Training
- Camden Equalities & Social Inclusion Unit
- Camden Council Scrutiny Team, Libraries, Personnel & Diversity Team, Equalities & Social Inclusion
- Unit, Voluntary Sector Unit, Adult & Community Learning Team
- London Central Learning & Skills Council