Lifting former refugees out of poverty and into meaningful employment
Refuge at Work empowers refugee communities through intentional mentoring, up-skilling and training to equip them for employment and to become active, participating citizens in Aotearoa.
Why former refugees?
Development outcomes for refugees as a population are among the poorest in the country. This is demonstrated in their marginalization across employment, educational and political sectors of society. This marginalization has resulted in social, economic and political inequality between refugees and the wider population. Although permanent residents of New Zealand with much to offer, people of refugee background face many barriers to finding employment. We believe that there is a high need for targeted and personalised interventions to ensure that people from refugee backgrounds can secure empowering employment and make a positive contribution to New Zealand. |
Why the trade sector?
The under-resourced trade sector in Auckland is a natural fit for many former refugees looking to find work. Building and Housing Minister Nick Smith has called it the “golden era” for the building industry. The National Construction Pipeline Report predicts 80,000 new homes will be built in Auckland by 2020, compared with 30,000 over the past six years. Both builders and the Government are concerned about a shortage of skilled tradespeople ahead of this forecast unprecedented growth in construction over the next six years. Refuge at Work will be helping to fill an important gap in the current labour market, while simultaneously providing meaningful employment for the refugee community. |
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