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Advocacy & Policy | Impact | Volunteer

Employment, Skills & Enterprise

We support people into work, training, volunteering and self-employment through practical preparation, employability groups, and confidence-building, recognising that employment is a key driver of integration and wellbeing.

What we deliver

  • Weekly employability group sessions, CV and job readiness support 

  • Volunteering pathways and work experience opportunities

  • Business start-up support (where viable), including signposting to funding and partner networks 

  • Digital inclusion support (access to online learning and core digital skills)

Approximate number of people AIG supports per year

Annually, we support roughly between 675 and 712 people (new and repeated who lost old jobs or whose contracts ended) with employability opportunities:

  • Between 360 and 380 are getting successfully into employment 

  • Between 48 and 50 have registered as self-employed

  • Between 12 and 14 start their own local businesses online or by securing premises as well

  • Between 163 and 180 acquire new employment, critical skills, reskilling or getting into vocational training courses

  • Between 38 and 42 long-term carers are getting back into employment after years of caring for loved ones

  • Between 46 and 54 special needs and disabled persons are trying to get into employment or self-employment 

The majority of these cohorts, roughly 63% to overcome barriers to employment with language support from partners, skilling opportunities, apprenticeships, networking and connecting with employers and supporting with digital searches.

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With 48% supported with networking and connecting with recruiters as well as providing with critical references.

Top 3 community groups/ nationalities/languages we support

  • West & North Africans (Nigerians, Guineas, Senegalese, Malians, Ghananians, Moroccans, Algerians, Tunisians, Egyptians)

  • Sub-indian ethnicities (Indians, Pakistanis, Bengali and Sri Lankans)

  • Europeans (Italian, Spanish, Greek, Portuguese, Scandinavian and eastern european migrant citizens and residents in the UK)

Top 5 common barriers we see 

  • Language

  • Lack of skills or work experiences essential to the UK workplace and markets

  • Lack of 'equivalent' qualifications, which we have seen for top-tier professionals from overseas like nurses, midwives, clinical healthcare professionals, doctors, engineers, architects, legal professionals and others.

  • Discrimination due to being migrants

  • Childcare support and services readily available

The main referral sources

  • Schools, Colleges and Universities

  • NHS

  • Local Council

  • Local Job Centres

  • VCSE Partners

  • Our Volunteers and Users

Programme outcomes

  • 63% saw high rates of success in the first interview and applications through AIG support

  • 54% provided with important references (character and professional) by AIG, which secured them employment opportunities

  • 60% connected with our employers' network and recruitment agencies with 'Guaranteed Job Scheme Agreement' between AIG and partners

  • 42% supported with our in-employment supporting services and advice

  • 80% secured employment interviews from our CV, cover letter and applications support.

  • 45% supported through language courses

  • 55% supported with work placement and experience opportunities

Case Studies

An Afghan refugee who arrived in the UK under the ARAP scheme relocated to Leicester and needed support to rebuild her life and career. Previously a qualified midwife, she was supported by AIG to access mental health services, rebuild confidence, and begin a pathway back into healthcare.

 

She is now studying an Access to Healthcare course at Leicester College and plans to progress to university to train as a midwife.

An Iranian refugee and single mother previously worked for over a decade as a Clinical Psychologist at Tehran University Hospital. Despite holding a Master’s degree and extensive experience, she faced barriers to practising in the UK.

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AIG supported her to begin the British Psychological Society (BPS) process and registration with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), enabling her to work towards practising clinical psychology within the NHS.

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