KPMG, partnering with the Refugee Council, helps refugees through its mentoring programme
KPMG’s program, partnering with the Refugee Council, helps refugees with financial experience overcome the barriers to employment in the sector and provides staff with focused and relevant volunteering opportunities.
KPMG, working with the Refugee Council (RC), this project aims to equip refugees with the necessary skills to find employment in the UK. It specifically looks at supporting refugees who are qualified and experienced in the financial sector in their own country in finding employment in the accountancy and finance sectors in the UK. It does this by supporting refugees through the UK application and interview process, with KPMG volunteers helping refugees to write CVs & practise their interview techniques, helping to increase their ability to find employment in the UK.
Refugees bring a wealth of skills and knowledge from a wide range of employment and cultural backgrounds. Often, however, the UK labour market is inaccessible to them, despite clear skills shortages and gaps in the market. The KPMG volunteer coaching program aims to enable refugees to overcome barriers they face in their search for employment including lack of relevant UK work experience, unfamiliarity with UK work culture, inadequate communication and presentation skills and qualifications that may not be transferable.
The program involves matching volunteer coaches – KPMG people with experience of the UK world of work – with refugees – job-ready and seeking assistance with job hunting. The refugees participating in the program are adults who are current or former participants on the Refugee Council employability mentoring programm.
Working with refugees was a new volunteering program to the firm and saw 108 staff expressing an interest and 70 completing full training to volunteer – one of the highest responses received for any of the firms’ volunteering programs.
During the first year of the project, 22 refugees were supported by 37 KPMG volunteers. In addition, at least 13 participants have gained employment having taken part in on of the coaching sessions with a KPMG employee last year and all participants were invited to interview.