REN Aberdeen Refugee Employment Event – 14th March 2023

REN is proud to have delivered its 2nd Refugee jobs fair supporting refugees in Aberdeen to gain access to suitable and sustainable employment. The event was hosted in partnership ABZ works and Aberdeen City Council with support from EY, the Department for Work & Pensions (DWP) and Skills Development Scotland (SDS). We were excited to have been joined by 25+ employers and exhibitors across a wide variety of sectors for this event on the 14th March 2023.

The event hosted at the Aberdeen Beach Ballroom was a fantastic forum bringing together local and national government, employers and associated support networks to refugees. Not only was this an opportunity for refugees to start building independent, integrated, fulfilling and happy lives, but such forums are instrumental in creating a palpable and compassionate sense of community.

What were the benefits/support/help to refugees from attending the event?
• Refugees gain support and advice to navigate the barriers related to employment, benefits, education, housing and health from the respective exhibitors
• Support with language translation on the day
• Opportunity to meet the contacts needed for multiple services in one session and build a relationship for future needs
• Greater understanding of the path to resettlement to better inform the wider refugee community

This event followed on from the success of the first event hosted by EY in November 2022 which saw more than 400 attendees from dozens of countries joining us over the course of the day in London. 55% of attendees in London secured job interviews at the event and over 90% planned on applying to one or more of the employers after the event.

We would like to extend our thanks to all our partners and volunteers for the countless hours, positive energy and compassion that went into planning the event.