• Skip to content
  • Skip to navigation
Global site
  • Global site
  • Algeria
  • Botswana
  • Cameroon
  • Egypt
  • Ethiopia
  • Gabon
  • Guinea
  • Kenya
  • Libya
  • Malawi
  • Mauritius
  • Morocco
  • Namibia
  • Nigeria
  • Senegal
  • South Africa
  • Togo
  • Tunisia
  • Uganda
  • Zambia
  • Zimbabwe
  • Anguilla
  • Antigua
  • Argentina
  • Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao and St. Maarten
  • Barbados
  • Bolivia
  • Brazil
  • British Virgin Islands
  • Canada LLP
  • Canada RCGT
  • Cayman Islands
  • Chile
  • Colombia
  • Costa Rica
  • Ecuador
  • El Salvador
  • Grenada
  • Guatemala
  • Honduras
  • Mexico
  • Montserrat
  • Nicaragua
  • Panama
  • Paraguay
  • Peru
  • Puerto Rico
  • St Kitts
  • St Lucia
  • St Vincent and the Grenadines
  • Trinidad & Tobago
  • Turks and Caicos Islands
  • United States
  • Uruguay
  • Venezuela
  • Afghanistan
  • Australia
  • Bangladesh
  • Cambodia
  • China
  • Hong Kong
  • India
  • Indonesia
  • Japan
  • Korea
  • Malaysia
  • Mongolia
  • Myanmar
  • New Zealand
  • Pakistan
  • Philippines
  • Singapore
  • Taiwan
  • Thailand
  • Vietnam
  • Albania
  • Armenia
  • Austria
  • Azerbaijan
  • Belarus
  • Belgium
  • Bosnia and Herzegovina
  • Bulgaria
  • Channel Islands
  • Croatia
  • Cyprus
  • Czech Republic
  • Denmark
  • Estonia
  • Finland
  • France
  • Georgia
  • Germany
  • Gibraltar
  • Greece
  • Hungary
  • Iceland
  • Ireland
  • Isle of Man
  • Israel
  • Italy - Bernoni
  • Italy - Ria
  • Kazakhstan
  • Kosovo
  • Kyrgyzstan
  • Latvia
  • Liechtenstein
  • Lithuania
  • Luxembourg
  • Malta
  • Moldova
  • Monaco
  • Netherlands
  • North Macedonia
  • Northern Ireland
  • Norway
  • Poland
  • Portugal
  • Romania
  • Russia
  • Serbia
  • Slovak Republic
  • Slovenia
  • Spain
  • Sweden
  • Switzerland
  • Tajikistan
  • Turkey
  • Ukraine
  • UK
  • Uzbekistan
  • Bahrain
  • Egypt
  • Jordan
  • Kuwait
  • Lebanon
  • Oman
  • Qatar
  • Saudi Arabia
  • United Arab Emirates
  • Yemen
Grant Thorton Logo

Grant Thornton logo Grant Thornton logo

Contact us
  • Insights
  • Services
  • Industries
  • Meet our people
  • Careers
  • About us
  • Locations
  • News centre
  • Audit and assurance
  • Brexit
  • Consulting
  • Cyber
  • Deals
  • Financial services advisory
  • Forensics and investigations
  • Insolvency and global asset recovery
  • International
  • Public sector services
  • Restructuring
  • Risk
  • Tax
Audit and assurance Home
  • Outsourced accounting services
  • Financial reporting advisory group
  • Royalty and intellectual property audit
  • Pensions
  • Healthcare assurance
  • Contract assurance
Brexit Home
  • Cost and cashflow
  • Imports and exports
  • People and skills
  • Tax and transactions
Consulting Home
  • Brexit and political risk advisory
  • Business consulting
  • Corporate simplification
  • Governance advisory
  • Insights and analytics
  • International services
  • Leading through the unknown
  • People advisory
  • Real estate advisory
  • Strategy
NAVIGATING BREXIT Need practical advice on navigating Brexit?
Discover our practical steps for business leaders
Cyber Home
  • Data breach, incident response and computer forensics
  • Cyber security regulation and compliance
  • Cyber security strategy, testing and risk assessment
Deals Home
  • Corporate finance
  • Debt advisory
  • Financial modelling
  • Operational deal services
  • Restructuring
  • Transaction services
  • Valuations
Financial services advisory Home
  • Actuarial and risk
  • Business consulting
  • Business risk services
  • Financial crime
  • Financial services tax
  • Insurance audit, assurance and advisory
  • Leasing and consumer finance
  • Litigation support
  • Regulatory and compliance
  • Risk and capital management
  • Transactions and restructuring
Forensics and investigations Home
  • Computer forensics
  • Cyber advisory
  • Disputes advisory
  • Financial crime
  • International arbitration
  • Investigations
  • Matrimonial services
  • Monitoring trustee and competition services
Insolvency and global asset recovery Home
  • Contentious estates and family disputes
  • Corporate intelligence
  • Litigation support
  • Personal insolvency
International Home
  • Expand into new markets
  • Finding the right international contacts
  • Getting more out of your existing international operations
  • Setting up in the UK
Public sector services Home
  • Adult social care insights
  • CFO Insights
  • Energy and environment
  • Healthcare advisory
  • How to buy our services
  • Infrastructure finance
  • Public sector advisory
  • Public sector assurance
  • Forensic and investigations services
  • Public sector governance and risk
  • Public sector insight studio
  • Real estates and assets
Restructuring Home
  • Restructuring and insolvency tax
  • Contingency planning and administrations
  • Corporate restructuring
  • Creditor advisory
  • Debt advisory
  • Financial services restructuring and insolvency
  • Non-performing loans and special situation funds
  • Pensions advisory services
Risk Home
  • Compliance assurance
  • Cyber
  • Data analytics
  • Enterprise risk management
  • Finance and risk management services
  • Internal audit services
  • People, culture and organisation
  • Projects, capital programmes and transformation
  • Technology risk services
  • Third party and contract assurance
Tax Home
  • Corporate and international tax
  • Employer solutions
  • Indirect tax
  • Private
  • Real estate tax
  • Transaction and restructuring tax
  • Tax dispute resolution
  • Tax risk management
  • Tax technology, data and analytics
  • Our approach to tax
  • Automotive
  • Business support services
  • Consumer markets
  • Energy and natural resources
  • Financial services
  • Healthcare
  • Not for profit
  • Public sector
  • Real estate
  • Technology, media and telecommunications
Automotive Home
  • Upstream
  • Downstream
Business support services Home
  • Facilities management
  • Freight and logistics
  • Professional practices
  • Recruitment
Consumer markets Home
  • Food and beverage
  • Restaurants, bars and casual dining
  • Retail
  • Travel, tourism and leisure
Energy and natural resources Home
  • Energy and environment
  • Mining
  • Oil and gas
  • Waste
Healthcare Home
  • Public sector healthcare
Not for profit Home
  • Charities
  • Education
  • Social housing
Public sector Home
  • Adult social care
  • Central government
  • Fire and rescue
  • Healthcare
  • Local government
  • Police
  • Private sector
Real estate Home
Article Is now the time to set up a healthcare REIT?
The emergence of specialist REITs focused on specific asset classes is good news for both investors and operators.
Technology, media and telecommunications Home
  • Fintech
  • Media
  • Technology
  • Telecommunications
  1. Grant Thornton UK LLP
  2. About us
  3. Supporting refugees into meaningful employment

Supporting refugees into meaningful employment

Shifting the refugee narrative from challenge to opportunity

When refugees leave their home nations, they do not leave behind qualifications, education, career goals or ambition.

By working to support refugees, businesses also access a pool of employees that might otherwise never be recognised for their talent and drive.

Our support for refugee initiatives is far-reaching. It includes helping refugees build experience, confidence and insight into British culture though workshops, skills development and work placements. We offer mentoring and employability guidance, all to help refugees in their search for sustainable employment.

We've been actively advocating for integration since 2018. Highlighting opportunities instead of the challenges faced. This mindset means our conversations around talent are diverse, inclusive, and overwhelmingly positive. So far, we’ve supported over 100 refugees on their journey to meaningful employment.

Partnerships with charities such as Breaking Barriers and Business in the Community mean we can use our position as a firm, and as individuals, to assist refugees with integrating successfully into UK culture appropriately and effectively.

Business in the Community recognised our firm as a 2020 Responsible Business Champion.

As a member of the Tent Partnership, we are part of a global business network committed to improving the livelihoods of refugees through integration into core business operations.

Find out how our programme has helped refugees.

karen-higgins.png

 

"Helping refugees to find work was truly inspirational! Amazing people, amazing experience and an incredible time spent putting our first world problems in perspective."

Karen Higgins, Head of Sustainability

Providing a lifeline

We have donated over 30 mobile phones to Care4Calais, a charity working with refugees in France and those who have recently arrived in the UK. Care4Calais helps refugees in temporary accommodation to access legal aid, medical care and other necessities while their asylum claims are being processed. 

Hermione Regan, Associate and experienced volunteer with Care4Calais, acknowledges how essential mobile phones are to refugees. "People awaiting asylum often have their phones confiscated when they reach the UK. For a vulnerable new arrival in the UK, these phones are a lifeline: translators, maps, guides and a vital way to stay in touch with friends and family. It's fantastic to work for a firm where people are empowered to help others in need."

Awais’ story: from refugee to Grant Thornton employee

We work with Breaking Barriers to support refugees into employment.

Awais Ahmad tells us how he landed a role with us

Pru's story

Prudence Mwanza joined Grant Thornton through a Breaking Barriers work placement programme. In Zambia, she was a skilled professional specialising in education and business and ran her own charity. Pru came to the UK on a student visa, but when her circumstances changed, she was forced to apply for discretionary leave to remain.

The process of rejection and application took a gruelling ten years, during which time Pru was unable to take on paid work. When finally she was granted refugee status, she returned to studying, working on updating her qualifications and volunteering her time for other organisations. Through Breaking Barriers, Grant Thornton had the privilege of welcoming Pru onto their team in the first-ever work placement.

"It's been such a great opportunity for me, giving me the confidence to go out again and compete for jobs."

Pru joined us in the Cyber Security department, a role that was challenging in many ways. She had been out of paid employment for a decade and adjusting to the pace, technology and commute took time and support. Thankfully both were available to her. The partnership between Grant Thornton and Breaking Barriers ensured we created a working environment that helped her thrive, with a network of supporters, confidence builders and colleagues who eventually became friends.

The six-month placement was enormously beneficial for everyone involved. Pru’s presence was inspiring to her team members and the experience gave Pru a chance to develop skills and adjust to life in a firm like Grant Thornton. She said, "It's been such a great opportunity for me, giving me the confidence to go out again and compete for jobs."

From here, Prudence went on to a role in the education sector, working in her dream job as a quality auditor and a management consultant in Berkshire where she lives. Since then, Pru has flourished both as a student and becoming a Trustee at Breaking Barriers.

Pru’s story | A refugee work placement

Not found what you are looking for? Discover our other sustainability initiatives.

Sustainability

Driving change, inspiring others

Sustainability

Supporting schools

Helping the next generation develop business skills

Supporting schools

Creating local value partnerships

Raising funds for good causes

Creating local value partnerships

Helping our people live their best lives

Profit should not be the sole measure of a successful business

Helping our people live their best lives

Protecting our planet

An ongoing challenge that we take seriously

Protecting our planet

Supporting global entrepreneurs in the developing world

Small changes, big impact

Supporting global entrepreneurs in the developing world

Contact us

Contact us about our sustainability initiatives
Share this page
  • Facebook LinkedIn
  • Twitter Twitter
  • LinkedIn LinkedIn
  • WhatsApp WhatsApp
  • Email Email
  • Follow us on Subscribe
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Grant Thornton on Youtube
CONNECTclose
  • Meet our people
  • Contact us
  • Our offices
  • Alumni
Aboutclose
  • About us
  • Careers
  • News centre
  • Sustainability
Legalclose
  • Privacy
  • Cookies
  • Disclaimer
  • Whistleblowing policy
  • Sitemap
  • Remote access
  • Modern slavery statement
  • Terms and conditions
  • Our approach to tax
  • Anti-bribery and corruption
  • Third Party code of conduct

© 2021 Grant Thornton UK LLP - All rights reserved. “Grant Thornton” refers to the brand under which the Grant Thornton member firms provide assurance, tax and advisory services to their clients and/or refers to one or more member firms, as the context requires. Grant Thornton UK LLP is a member firm of Grant Thornton International Ltd (GTIL). GTIL and the member firms are not a worldwide partnership. GTIL and each member firm is a separate legal entity. Services are delivered by the member firms. GTIL does not provide services to clients. GTIL and its member firms are not agents of, and do not obligate, one another and are not liable for one another’s acts or omissions.

    • EN
    • Contact us