Measures
announced last week to create a co-ordinated approach to the employment of
refugees and asylum-seekers could fulfil one of the key aims in Personnel
Today’s Refugees in Employment campaign.
The
plans, outlined by Home Secretary David Blunkett in a White Paper, Secure
Borders, Safe Haven, should make it easier for employers to recruit refugees to
offset skills shortages.
"A
national approach to integration is a new concept for the UK and we are at the
beginning of the process," the report says. "But the Government is
committed to integration as a vital part of the whole asylum process."
Proposals
include a number of new induction centres for asylum-seekers in London and the
South East, which will allow a more managed approach to processing
applications.
Asylum-seekers
will also be given registration cards that will include fingerprints and
details of employment status.
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Accommodation
centres are also being built, which will house 3,000 people and run activities
such as English language and IT training.
–
Personnel Today’s Refugees in Employment campaign has been shortlisted for this
year’s CRE’s Race in the Media awards in the Specialist Magazine category.
