Employment, Skills & Enterprise
We support people to access employment, training, volunteering and self-employment through practical preparation, skills development and connections to opportunities.
Our support recognises that finding work can involve more than applying for jobs. Language barriers, overseas qualifications, limited UK work experience, digital exclusion, discrimination and caring responsibilities can all affect someone's ability to participate in the labour market.
How we can help
Support is shaped around each person's experience, skills and goals and may include:
-
CV, cover letter and job application support
-
Job-readiness guidance and preparation for interviews
-
Support understanding UK workplace expectations and recruitment processes
-
Digital skills support for job searches, applications and online learning
-
Volunteering and work experience pathways to build experience, skills and confidence
-
Signposting and connections to training, apprenticeships and skills development opportunities
-
Guidance navigating overseas qualification recognition and professional registration pathways where appropriate
-
Connections with employers, recruiters and employment networks
-
Business start-up and self-employment support where appropriate, including connections to funding and partner networks
-
Language support through appropriate partners where this is a barrier to employment
Common barriers we see
People coming to AIG often already have valuable skills, qualifications and professional experience but face barriers to using them within the UK labour market.
Some of the most common challenges include:
-
Language barriers
-
Limited UK work experience
-
Overseas qualifications not being recognised or directly transferable
-
Difficulty understanding UK recruitment and workplace expectations
-
Digital exclusion
-
Discrimination linked to migrant status or background
-
Limited access to childcare
-
Lack of professional networks or UK references
-
Difficulty returning to employment after long-term caring responsibilities
These barriers can be particularly significant for experienced professionals, including nurses, midwives, healthcare professionals, doctors, engineers, architects and legal professionals seeking to rebuild their careers in the UK.
Who we support
Our employment and skills support is available to people experiencing barriers to work, training or economic participation.
We particularly support:
-
Refugees and migrants
-
Overseas-qualified professionals
-
People seeking to re-enter skilled professions
-
Young people building early work experience
-
People experiencing digital or language barriers
-
Long-term carers returning to employment
-
Disabled people and people with additional needs seeking employment or self-employment
-
People interested in starting a business or becoming self-employed
-
Those experiencing wider economic exclusion
We receive referrals through schools, colleges and universities, NHS services, local councils, Jobcentres, VCSE partners and our existing community networks.
Our employment support in numbers
Each year, AIG supports approximately 675–712 people with employment and skills opportunities, including both new participants and people returning for support following job or contract changes.
Annually, approximately:
-
360–380 people move into employment
-
48–50 people register as self-employed
-
12–14 people start their own local businesses
-
163–180 people develop new employment skills, reskill or enter vocational training
-
38–42 long-term carers receive support to return to employment
-
46–54 disabled people and people with additional needs receive support towards employment or self-employment
Our support can include language provision through partners, skills development, work experience, networking, employer connections, digital job searches and professional references.
Outcomes we track
We track how employment support translates into practical opportunities and progression.
Programme outcomes include:
-
80% secured employment interviews following CV, cover letter and application support
-
63% saw high rates of success at first interview and application stage following AIG support
-
60% were connected with AIG's employer network and recruitment agencies
-
55% received work placement and experience opportunities
-
54% received character or professional references from AIG that supported employment opportunities
-
45% were supported through language courses
-
42% accessed in-employment support and advice
Case studies
For some people, employment support is about rebuilding a career they had already established before coming to the UK.
Returning to Healthcare
An Afghan refugee who arrived in the UK through the ARAP scheme relocated to Leicester after previously working as a qualified midwife.
AIG supported her to access mental health services, rebuild her confidence and begin developing a route back into healthcare.
She is now studying an Access to Healthcare course at Leicester College, with plans to progress to university and return to midwifery.
Rebuilding a Career in Clinical Psychology
An Iranian refugee and single mother had previously worked for more than a decade as a Clinical Psychologist at Tehran University Hospital. Despite holding a Master's degree and extensive professional experience, she faced barriers to practising in the UK.
AIG supported her to begin the British Psychological Society (BPS) process and Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) registration, helping her work towards practising clinical psychology within the NHS.
These experiences demonstrate why employment support for migrant communities needs to recognise existing skills and professional experience, alongside the practical barriers people may face transferring them into a UK context.
Work with us
Partnerships with employers, recruiters, training providers, education institutions and community organisations help us create stronger pathways into employment and skills development.
If your organisation can provide employment opportunities, training, work experience, volunteering or professional pathways, we'd like to work with you.
You can also support the continued delivery of our Employment, Skills & Enterprise programme through funding and partnership.