Minister highlights vital role of support in the successful settlement of refugees

Refugees need intensive employment and training support from the
moment they are given permission to remain in the UK, the minister
for work has said.

Des Browne told the Working to Rebuild Lives conference that unless
refugees were offered help as soon as they receive a decision on
their status from the government, “there is a danger they will not
make use of the programme support that we can offer, will not learn
English, will not work and consequently will not feel settled
here”.

He added that a key factor is early assessment by practitioners
“who understand the refugee context and who can identify the
barriers that might prevent that person from getting a job”.

Browne also said that the Department for Work and Pensions was
piloting a programme to support a group of refugee job seekers in
Haringey, north London, which examined the skills refugees had, the
work that might be open to them, how best to learn English and how
the UK labour market worked.

The DWP would eventually evaluate the results of the pilot to see
if it could be put into practice in other parts of the UK, Browne
said.

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