Northern Refugee Centre

Improving services and opportunities for refugees and asylum seekers in the Yorkshire and Humber region.

Refugee Employment Project

The Northern Refugee Centre’s Refugee Employment Project aims to facilitate refugee integration through developing better pathways to appropriate employment for refugees in the Yorkshire and the Humber region. This project relates closely to the aims of the Regional Refugee Integration Strategy.

The project has recently focused on two work areas: the development of the Regional Refugee Employment Service (see below) and raising refugee employment issues with employers in the region.

The Refugee Employment Project does not provide a direct service to refugees. However, we have put together lists of organisations in Yorkshire and the Humber that help refugees looking for work. These lists are available on the Refugee Access Website: www.refugeeaccess.info.

This information source serves as a valuable signposting tool for refugee assisting agencies and for refugees seeking employment, as well as informing future service development in this area. Please spread the word about this new information resource around your colleagues and through the refugee communities wherever possible.

NRC has also been working to link employers with their potential refugee workforce. If you are seeking support or guidance around employing refugees, Employing Refugees is a concise summary of some of the services in the region that can help.

Funding for NRC’s Refugee Employment Project has finished and continuation of the project is subject to the future funding situation. NRC is continuing to work on service and strategy development in Yorkshire and the Humber.

For further information on the Refugee Employment Project, email

Regional Refugee Employment Service

The Regional Refugee Employment Service is planned as a two-tier service. It would provide direct employment-related services with tailored ongoing-support to refugees at a local level, with technical and strategic support provided for the local offices from a region-based organisation.

NRC has successfully undertaken a feasibility study for this approach and is trying to identify funding for the service. Pilot projects are planned for Wakefield and Hull.

For a copy of the Feasibility Study for the Regional Refugee Employment Service or more information about this work, email You are also welcome to contact the following members of the Employment Project Advisory Group:

A4e - Hull and Bridlington – contact
Access Matrix Ltd – Huddersfield – contact
Guidance Services Ltd – Pontefract – contact
Jobcentre Plus – Hull – contact
MRC Ltd – Bradford – contact
RASA Advocacy Project – Wakefield – contact
Refugee Council – Leeds (regional) – contact

(page updated 18.10.05)