24 November 2023. To help migrant jobseekers make their next career steps, we hosted our first Employment Support Conference attended by 7 community and employment organisations. We combined the Employment Conference with our signature monthly Food With Friends event supported by the National Lottery Community Fund.
The conference featured speakers and stalls from City of Portsmouth College, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care Board, The National Careers Service, Workers Educational Association (WEA) Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust, Portsmouth Libraries and Archives and Sustrans. We also welcomed colleagues from the Department for Work and Pensions (Portsmouth Job Centre) and migrant jobseekers in Portsmouth.
Last week, WBI wrapped up our 6th successful run of the Employment Support for Migrants, a programme in partnership with WEA and City of Portsmouth College to facilitate the professional transition of migrant jobseekers to the UK job market.
To continue supporting our participants, we invited them to take part in our first ever Employment Support Conference. They were given the opportunity to connect with potential employers, volunteering schemes and educational programmes around Portsmouth.
“It has been two years since we ran the Employment support for Migrants programme. Migrants arrive with valuable skills and expertise and they want to contribute to the local economy. They just need a little support in applying for jobs in the UK. A safe and non-judgemental place where they feel confident is important and that is why the idea of having an in-house job fair came to our mind.” – Anita David, Director of Community Engagement
Our Employment Support for Migrants programme mentors migrants (term used broadly to include refugees, asylum seekers and other migrants to the city) and specifically targets the extra hurdles that migrants may face in their job search: from writing cover letters and CVs to landing a job interview.
The Employment Support Conference is an extension of this programme. We invited former participants out of the classroom and brought them closer to prospective employers. A successful connection is often what it takes to open the door to realising one’s career goals.
The event featured career-relevant talks on:
- Health and Safety at Work presented by Dr Bonny Ling (WBI’s Executive Director)
- Positive Mindset presented by Bahar Mouland (WEA Tutor & personal coach)
- The jobseeking journey of a previous Employment Support programme participant
- The National Career Services and its facilities for jobseekers
In her talk on Health and Safety at Work, Bonny stressed that the future economy must be diverse and sustainable highlighting three lines of WBI’s community service:
1. Getting more migrants to work means building diversity from the ground up;
2. Eliminating health inequality and that is why we have food with friends every month;
3. Fostering a sustainable economy.
Bonny introduced the topic of health and safety at work, a fundamental labour right. The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 is the core regulation on occupational health and safety in the UK. It applies to all types of work.
She took the audience on a quick exercise, using an illustration depicting an unsafe working environment. It attracted high engagement from the audience, discussing examples such as a bolted fire door, cracked wall and no safety equipment and protective gear.
It was encouraging to hear from one of the participants from our first cohort of the Employment Support Program, who spoke about the personal impact of his jobseeking journey. He is now successfully settled in London working for an educational establishment.
“Never lose hope and pay attention to your mental health.” – former participant
Bahar Mouland, a WEA tutor who mentors our participants on important soft skills-development, offered tips on how to stay motivated. Taking up a volunteering role is always a good start as you build up a positive community and boost one’s language and employment skills.
“Never ever ignore the effort you put into integrating in a new country,” – Bahar Mouland.
We were delighted to see the active engagement from participants, as they interacted with the different organisations present.
We are grateful for the participation of the many community organisations and recruiters at our first ever Employment Support Conference and their commitment to foster and promote a diverse and productive economy for Portsmouth. We applaud the courage of our migrant jobseekers for education, training and upskilling.
Looking forward to our participants’ future professional developments!
