Challenging barriers and exploring pathways

Held at London Met on 6 July 2006, this conference concluded a major ESF funded project comparing the labour market experiences of refugees and ethnic minority workers. The research aimed to uncover the barriers and difficulties faced by these groups in the labour market, and to discern initiatives and actions to combat them. The one-day event attracted more than 110 registrations and an audience consisting of members of the academic community, refugee organisations, trade unions and community groups. Key findings from the research project were presented, as well as examples of best practice and policy, successful training and support initiatives.

Dr Sonia McKay from the Working Lives Research Institute at London Metropolitan University gave the introductory session and presented key findings from the project. Following this, Patrick Wintour, the director of the Employability Forum, an independent organisation that promotes the employment of refugees and the integration of migrant workers in the UK, took the conference through an informative review of current government policies on refugees and asylum seekers. Saynab Mahamud a refugee from the Sudan spoke elequently about the experiences of refugees in the UK but also presented an historical account of how refugees and asylum seekers have been portrayed by the media.

The afternoon session included presentations from Alice Bloch of City University who delivered a paper on refugees and the barriers they experience in entering and progressing within the labour market, and Nancy Kelley, Head of UK and International Policy at the Refugee Council, who spoke on government future policies on refugees and of the work of the Refugee Council. There were also a number of workshop sessions.

One of the highlights of the conference was the premiere of a film produced as part of the research. 'All by myself' explores the lives of three refugees to the UK, in their own words telling the story of why they were forced to flee, what they found when they arrived and of their difficulties in accessing suitable work. Copies of the film can be purchased from the Working Lives Research Institute.

Dr Sonia McKay said: 'This has been a challenging but very rewarding project. It has allowed us to understand better what the main barriers are to refugee employment and to start to explore strategies to overcome them. It has enabled the research team to engage with refugee communities, trade unions and employers and, particularly through the production of the film, it provides a unique dissemination tool for the research.'

25 July 2006