From Sudan to Eritrea, Afghanistan and Syria, St Francis Employability support vulnerable and displaced people that arrive from some of the world’s most hostile and dangerous countries.
One of the biggest challenges in resettling displaced people is integration.
Full integration is often impeded through a lack of knowledge on how to access vital services that include employment, education, and health.
St Francis Employability offers tailored support on these three areas so that new arrivals are given the tools to be able to lead independent, prosperous lives and make a positive impact on their new community; all of which helps to result in full integration.
To demonstrate their impact, St Francis Employability recently gave Cabinet Member for Housing and Communities, Councillor David Welsh, a guided tour of their facilities in Radford, introducing him to several people who have been supported by St Francis Employability while explaining the work they do across several programme such as MyCoventry.
In recent months, St Francis Employability have also begun to support British Nationals Overseas (BNO’s) – families who have arrived from Hong Kong – as they begin their integration journeys here in the UK.
As part of this support, in conjunction with the West Midlands Strategic Migration Partnership, St Francis Employability took the BNO families for a tour around Coventry, which also included a tour of the Council house and Chamber, showing them the heart of political decision making in Coventry.
Looking beyond the scope of traditional integration models based around employment and education, St Francis Employability have also recently started a Driving Theory Test course.
The newly founded popular course was a result of feedback from participants who said that one of the barriers to integration and securing employment was the inability to drive, as it made getting to some jobs practically impossible due to distance or location.
Praising the work of St Francis Employability, Councillor David Welsh, said: “What helps to make Coventry so great as a city, amongst many other qualities, is its ability to be warm, welcoming, and unapologetically kind to complete strangers – and it’s safe to say St Francis Employability personify this and more.
“Their tireless and selfless attitude to help those who are most vulnerable is incredibly inspirational, and the success of their work is demonstrated simply by the breadth of people they support.
“New arrivals enter the doors of St Francis Employability resettling from places such as Hong Kong and Afghanistan but all leave as Coventrians due to the warm welcome and unwavering support they receive from the staff at St Francis Employability.
“I’m incredibly proud to call them our partners and very much look forward to continue working closely with them in the future”.
For more information about St Francis Employability and their work or if you would like their support, email: selina@stfcov.org
