Guest Contribution from Catholic Community Services of Salt Lake City

The story that follows highlights the reliable labor pool that Aramark's Parks and Destinations Division has discovered in job seekers from a refugee background.  RefugeeWorks is proud of the work Catholic Community Services began several years ago that has resulted in a national recruitment strategy for a company with strong values in diversity and corporate responsiblity.  Special thanks to Jason Stout, Job Developer at Catholic Community Services for contributing this story.

Making Our Mark with Aramark

Jason P. Stout

Job Developer at CCS Refugee Resettlement Program of Utah

"The refugee program has been a terrific source of employees and has enhanced our diverse workforce here at Lake Powell as well as at other ARAMARK Parks & Destinations properties.

The individuals from this program have worked in some of our key hospitality positions and several have been commended for a terrific work ethic and positive attitude that is inspirational.” –Donna Gold, Regional Human Resources Director for Aramark

Our initial successes with Aramark were nothing short of serendipitous. At one location, less than a week transpired from the initial phone call to the first day of training some 400 miles away, but the prelude to this success is even more compelling.

Bruno Schwartz, the International Recruiting Manager for The Canyons Resort in Park City (the largest resort in Utah and part of the Aramark family) attended a networking roundtable with the Utah Governor’s International Trade and Diplomacy Office in early 2010. When he mentioned that he was struggling to obtain visas for international applicants (through the J-1 and H2B visa programs), Jennifer Andelin, the International & Immigration Specialist at Congressman Chaffetz’s office and local refugee advocate, suggested he consider the refugee community. Before long, 15 refugees were working as housekeepers at The Canyons and more soon followed.

Meanwhile, in Wahweap, Arizona, Aramark’s Lake Powell Resort was filled to capacity much earlier than usual due to the local filming of a Disney movie. They were in need of over 20 housekeepers, boat maintenance personnel, servers, bussers and other staff. Donna Gold, the Regional Human Resources Director for Aramark, called Bruno Schwartz (a former colleague) and was soon in contact with our job development team at CCS. Our team worked around the clock to identify, prepare, and transport 14 of our own clients to Wahweap in six days. In the following weeks we brought a dozen more clients, including a number from other refugee agencies in Salt Lake City.

We only had two job developers helping at the time, and between the two of us, we spent half a dozen weekends in Lake Powell, dealing with challenges and ensuring a smooth transition. We ensured that an exhaustive checklist was completed before and after relocation, including medical, communication, banking, nutrition, housing, permission from the Office of Refugee Resettlement for long-distance job placement, initial training and paperwork, and local volunteers to teach ESL.

That first season was a success, and in 2011 we were asked to contribute staff at another Aramark location: Mesa Verde, Colorado. The Canyons continues to hire refugees, and we also hope to return to both Lake Powell and Mesa Verde this year. As Aramark expands nationally in their refugee hiring in 2012, we are proud that our successes were an initial impetus in that chain.

As for Lake Powell Resort and Mesa Verde, the only bottleneck this year is finding enough refugees to meet the demand.

Refugees Make Great Employees

Read how Baltimore businesses are seeing the advantages of hiring refugees:

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/readersrespond/bs-ed-refugees-letter-20120309,0,2791659.story

GREAT Picture Guides Now Available





If you are looking for picture guides for common items used in food-related industries, look no further!  Caritas of Austin is sharing their picture guides with us and they are now posted on the RefugeeWorks website. 

They are translated into Arabic, Burmese, Nepali, and Spanish.  And they are simple, clear, and reproducible for free.  Enjoy! 

Leave a comment to let us know how you are using the translated guides.

Starting From Scratch: Refugees Rebuilding Lives in Baltimore

This was the title of a news story on NPR that I was interviewed for. As the economy struggles to regain strength so do refugees and millions of other Americans when looking for a job. What I am continually confounded by is there are jobs out there. I feel as though I keep trying to solve an equation that always equals zero. What I mean by this, is that there are jobs out there that need to be filled and most native born Americans do not want. Yet, a lot of companies are hesitant to hire refugees for the positions. So, at the end of the day they remain vacant.

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of taking a newly granted asylee to a job interview at a prestigious hotel in Baltimore. This amazing lady speaks four languages, has experience in the hospitality industry, and is willing to take any job in this hotel. If I was the hiring manager, I would be racing to hire this woman. She would be a great employee and would excel in her work. Is that not what all employers are looking for in a potential employee? Is that not what we all strive to do in our careers?

As the Democrats and the Republicans on Capital Hill continue to bicker, we all need to remember the open-mindedness of our grandparents when it came to work ethic and being grateful to have a job. And being grateful to have amazing people willing to take the jobs we have to offer. Thank goodness the new comers we serve still remember!

Listen to the interview here.

The information shared in this post is meant to serve as inspiration to other service providers in their fund raising efforts. This event is not only to raise monetary funds for Exodus, but more importantly, to continue spreading the word and educating the public about who refugees are and the issues that they face when coming to this country.

Exodus Refugee Presents: "Welcome to Shelbyville" Film Screening Fundraiser!

Exodus Refugee is pleased to present a film screening of "Welcome to Shelbyville", a documentary capturing the joys and challenges of refugee resettlement in rural America. Join us for this exciting night of film and discussion!

Date: Thursday, July 28th, 7PM, at the Indianapolis Museum of Art

Also featured before the film will be a collection of artwork created by refugees from our local community.

All proceeds will benefit the work of Exodus Refugee in welcoming and resettling refugees from Burma, Iraq, Iran, Eritrea, Somalia, and other nations. Refugees come to our country with only what they can carry. Exodus arranges housing, furnishings, food and clothing as well as other basic items to ensure that individuals and families have what they require to begin their new lives. Exodus relies on donations from individuals, groups, churches and foundations to provide the items necessary to meet the basic needs of refugee newcomers.

Join us for this exciting event to encounter the realities of refugee resettlement, and raise funds for the work of Exodus Refugee!

Please leave a comment if you have either seen this film or have questions about it. I will post a follow-up piece about how the event went, challenges, and successes! Please also visit our event on Facebook and at www.exodusrefugee.org

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