Asylum Seekers’ Skills and Qualifications Audit Pilot Project

This report audits the skills and qualifications of about 440 asylum seekers dispersed under the National Asylum Support System (NASS) to Leicester and assesses their potential contribution to the local and regional economy before they gain permission to work and thus at a time when referrals to preparation, education and opportunities can promote their chances of employment. The research was undertaken in partnership with Leicester City Council and the East Midlands Consortium for Asylum Seekers Support (EMCASS).

Key findings:

• of the 121 asylum seekers who replied, 85% had some education or training qualification and 80% had been in paid employment in a range of occupations ‘reflecting the national picture’; e.g. 5 were doctors, 14 were teachers, 5 were engineers
• nearly half those not in employment had been students when they fled their countries of origin
• portfolios describing skills and previous work experience could help asylum seekers find jobs, but they also needed specialist careers guidance, access to government funded training when they obtained permission to work, access to ESOL through New Deal without waiting 6 months if under 25, and access to funded assistance in portfolio development at Further Education colleges

The article recommends that:

• qualifications, skills and previous work experience of asylum seekers should be recorded when they have been provided with accommodation and communicated to the Employment Services on a monthly basis
• asylum seekers should be provided with written information about education, training and employment opportunities in relevant languages
• ESOL courses should integrate portfolio preparation and specialized vocational vocabulary and literacy
• a national scheme for the integration of overseas qualifications and bridging courses should be developed
• questionnaires should be handed out personally and possibly translated into main languages to reduce the element of self-selection revealed in this project