Short -Term Training Options

There can be a feeling of urgency to provide refugees with marketable skills in a short amount of time. Refugees have a seemingly small "window of time" in which to reach self-sufficiency. Public benefits are only available for a period of months, and while the resettlement agencies certainly do what they can, the financial assistance they can provide is not indefinite. Refugees unfortunately may find themselves hovering right above or below the poverty line, and without any useful job skills, how are they to support themselves and survive?

This is where short-term training options come into play. Whether it is a refresher course building on skills already acquired or teaching a new skill or trade, preparing refugees to enter the U.S. workforce must mean that service providers are offering real solutions. These trainings certainly do not even need to be extensive in order to be effective. Simple workplace skills such as answering phones and operating a cash register can prove to be more valuable than you may think. Utilizing community resources to provide these necessary skills to clients is critical. A popular training option being accessed by refugees in Indianapolis is CNA certification. With the health-care industry being a constant yet expanding source of employment, clients have more flexibility and options for job placements and career building.

Service providers: what short-term training options are offered to clients through your agencies? How do you go about deciding on topics as well as content? How and where do you refer clients for additional skills training in your communities?

Self-Sufficiency as the Key to Integration

Last Monday I had the opportunity to join a panel of experts from the United States and Europe at the Carnegie Endowment for Peace in Washington DC. Discussions were on a wide range of topics relating to issues around integration of refugees being resettled on both continents. Throughout the conversation, it became abundantly clear that employment is a key factor in integration. As a matter of fact, one senior U.S. official stated, " The United States does not focus on integration, we focus on self-sufficiency." In short, gaining employment leads to assimilation into one's community.

Refugee job developers should see their work as a very important tool in the resettlement process. In the United States, your work is your clients' first step out in their new world and their new beginning. Once employed, learning takes place. These new Americans begin to learn about life in the U.S. and the people who live in their communities. For their native-born co-workers, this is a chance for them to learn about the world and cultures well beyond our shores. Because of the U.S. resettlement program, world peace starts at home for many Americans who may otherwise not have the opportunity to meet people from other countries. When you think about it...your jobs transform communities and change the world for the better!

What are your thoughts about employment leading to integration? Was the U.S. official correct? How can we approve upon this concept?

-Jonathan

Learning from Non-Refugee Employment Programs

My job development efforts target all of Caritas clients, only approximately 1/3 of which are refugees. We help all kinds of people experiencing poverty. The populations face different barriers and sometimes there is overlap. Refugee Works is great, but I often wish for local job development resources with a different perspective. So, I’ve been trying to tap broader Caritas networks for a more localized, in-person support group.

The Texas Workforce Commission includes lots of great resources and I've found several like-minded colleagues in that system. They're different in every State, so you'll have to explore in your area. The social service network for ex-offenders has also been an innovative and active source of information. I recently attended an Offender Employment Specialist certification course that gave me lots of new contacts, resources and ideas. Goodwill Industries (read more below) is also a national leader in putting people to work.

Recently, I’ve encountered two especially useful resources for training and employmetn opportunities from our non-refugee networks that have benefitted my work with refugees, as well, so I wanted to share.

Goodwill Industries: Many of you are probably familiar with Goodwill. They offer so many great services, although they differ by location. Often the eligibility criteria for most of them includes some type of disability that serves as a barrier to employment. We’ve found that definition to be more expansive than you might imagine and some of our refugee clients have qualified to participate. The best resource for refugees has been employment in the retail stores, which do not have the same eligibility criteria. They are very supportive employers that emphasize training and advancement opportunities. All of their openings are listed on the national website http://www.goodwill.org/ We have also met with all of the hiring managers in the individual stores that are on bus lines. Some agreed to receive an email copy of the applications or a heads up that a qualified Caritas client has applied. Several refugees, including some with very low English language proficiency, were already working at Goodwill Stores, so we were able to provide examples of their success and references from other Goodwill store managers.

Transportation Workers Identification Credential (TWIC): This credential is a pilot program of the Maritime Transportation Safety Administration to ensure that anyone who might “pose a threat do not gain unescorted access to secure areas of the nation's maritime transportation system”. It is now required for dock workers, long shore workers, truck drivers and anyone who has unescorted access to secure areas or regulated maritime facilities like ports and vessels. It includes biometrics, digital photographs and an extensive background check. In addition to being required for certain types of jobs, it can give qualified refugees an extra edge. Asylees, refugees and Legal Permanent Residents are all eligible, but there are stringent documentation requirements. For example, a foreign passport AND I-94 are required. The website to find out more is http://www.tsa.gov/what_we_do/layers/twic/index.shtm. This doesn’t really apply in landlocked Austin, so I can’t provide any first-hand experience.

If anyone gains insight or has good experiences with either of these resources, it would be great to hear from you through this site.