Workforce Development

The workforce development team has been working hard for almost 3 weeks now! Our responsibility is to provide refugees with the job skills they need to succeed in Houston. We spent our first week getting to know refugees. We assessed their needs, talked about their experiences looking for jobs in the US now, and learned about the challenges they have faced. We've visited two of the apartment complexes already. We have a vast array of challenges to overcome: many of the refugees don't speak or read English, some have health problems, very few of them have cars or reliable transportation, and many of them lack the work experience or knowledge to easily find a job in the U.S.

While we started out researching available jobs in the area and helping refugees edit their resumes, we have moved away from that. We've since decided to focus on training refugees to take control of their own job search and professional development. Right now, we're creating the materials needed for training. We're planning a resume and job skills workshop (complete with a mock interview!), English classes, and computer classes. We need English teachers who can commit to at least six months: if anyone is interested, please contact us!

I'm looking forward to more cooperation with local agencies. It seems like there are so many services being offered to refugees in the area, particularly in the skills that we're trying to develop. Imagine how much more powerful a coordinated effort to support refugees would be!