Sona Circle Recruitment Helping Refugees find Jobs and Employment Opportunities

Reading Time: 2 minutes    Aanya Bhandari, Sona Circle With the refugee unemployment rate (pre-COVID) at 18%, more than four times that of the UK average, refugee recruitment remains a key social and economic issue for over 150,000 refugees in the UK.  In attempting to enter the labour market, refugees are faced with several barriers, both social and […]

Refugee Access to Technology During the Covid-19 Pandemic

Reading Time: 3 minutes    By Katy Cottrell, Sona Circle During the Covid-19 pandemic, many of us have felt grateful for the digital world which has helped us stay in touch with loved ones, informed with important information and constantly entertained. However, recent research from Breaking Barriers has highlighted the discrepancy in digital access between refugees living in […]

Business Grants to Support Companies Hiring Refugees

Business grants for Refugees

Reading Time: 2 minutes    By Zoe Allen, Sona Circle Hiring Refugees: Funding for Your Business   Having discovered the benefits of hiring refugees, you might be interested in exploring some avenues that could provide extra funding for a new hire. For training schemes, like apprenticeships, there is government funding available, and you may also be able to […]

7 Effects of COVID-19 on Refugee Employment

Refugees

Reading Time: 4 minutes    By Zoe Allen, Sona Circle Refugees already face an extensive range of barriers when looking for work in the UK, from low proficiency in English to lack of social connections and difficulty accessing services, to outright discrimination. This leads to the rate of unemployment being four times higher than the UK average for […]

4 Ways to Support Refugees in your Community

4 Ways to Support Refugees in your Community

Reading Time: 3 minutes    By Aanya Bhandari, Sona Circle Migration isn’t easy. Accepting change isn’t easy. Starting a new life isn’t easy. Refugees face a wide range of challenges when it comes to integration and acceptance within their communities. It is no secret that xenophobia and racism are two of the most pertinent issues that plague societies […]

A Guide to Apprenticeships for Refugees and Asylum Seekers

Workplace Apprenticeship

Reading Time: 3 minutes    By Zoe Allen, Sona Circle What are apprenticeships? Apprenticeships are training programmes designed to prepare you for a career in a particular trade or profession. Importantly, they include practical, on-the-job training, and you are paid whilst you complete your apprenticeship. Apprentices also have to spend at least 20% of their time (i.e. usually […]

Refugees in Business and Entrepreneurship

Refugee Business Entrepreneurship

Reading Time: 3 minutes    by Katy Cottrell, Sona Circle Historically, refugees have had great success in business and entrepreneurship around the world. From Michael Marks, a Jewish refugee who became the co-founder of Marks and Spencers in 1884, to Jan Koum who fled to the United States from Kiev and later became the co-founder and CEO of […]

Ode to London: The Melting Pot

Brixton London

Reading Time: 2 minutes    by Katie McAdam, Sona Circle For millennia, London has welcomed people across the globe to live together in the same city. Central to London’s development was the influence of early Roman, Viking and Norman traders. In more recent times, the city has accommodated many; from the famed Windrush generation to EU migrants. However, […]

5 Great Initiatives Supporting Refugee Integration in the UK

Refugee Intergration

Reading Time: 3 minutes    by Katie McAdam, Sona Circle Settling into a new country can be very daunting for many refugees. Language barriers, new cultures and lack of social connections make integration a difficult process. Integration is vital not only for improving local community relationships but also for reducing the problem of social isolation among refugees. Those […]