Britain’s skills gap prevails despite a wealth of highly qualified refugees and asylum seekers.
The Council for Assisting Refugee Academics (CARA) revealed the position on Monday.
According to CARA the cost of getting a refugee doctor up to scratch and ready for practise in the UK is as little as £1000 compared to £250,000, the cost of training a doctor from the outset.
Other key professionals such as scientists and engineers can also have their skills updated for under £12,000, say the charity.
CARA, backed by the Trades Union Congress (TUC) and the Commission for Racial Equality (CRE) have launched a handbook which advises refugees and other groups who are under represented in further and higher education on how to apply and seek funding for courses in the UK.
John Akker, CARA’s Executive Secretary said: “This is not only a waste, it is scandal that more is not done, given that often the applications that CARA receives for support are from people with skills in areas where we are crying out for key workers. Just a small grant from CARA can change a refugee’s whole life and give the UK a key worker. CARA awards funds for basic items such as fees and travel.
“However, the charity cannot fund all the applications it receives and many go unsupported. We urgently need greater resources and guidance for refugees to stop pools of talent remaining untapped.”
Frances O’Grady, Deputy General of the TUC called the situation ‘tragic’ saying that the country was missing out on skilled academics and professionals just when the country faces a skills shortage.
Trevor Phillips, Chair of the CRE backing the guide referred to the levels of highly-skilled but unemployed refugees as ‘appalling’:
“CARA’s handbook will help refugees negotiate the labyrinth of higher education and will enable people to take up the many opportunities higher education affords.”
In his foreword to the handbook, Dr Kim Howells, Minister of State for Lifelong Learning, Further and Higher Education says:
“The UK higher education system is amongst the best in the world. In 2002/2003 some 259,000 people from overseas studied at a UK university or college. Some of those faced particular difficulties – refugees and asylum seekers perhaps more than most… Education plays a major role in helping migrants realise their potential and integrate into UK society. CARA has made an important contribution to bridging the academic and refugee worlds.”
Last October the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education the Progress-GB Partnership announced plans to head a £4m project to help refugees into work and plug the widening UK skills gap.
The programme will involve work place learning for those already in employment, and help employers meet skills shortages by recruiting skilled staff from refugee communities.
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