How US Together Toledo Helps Refugees Find Employment
The overall goal of our programming at US Together is to provide support and services to refugees so they can thrive in their new home and become self-sufficient. One of the services we provide to enhance economic integration is employment services. In the first three months of the resettlement process in Toledo, the US Together staff is charged with finding and connecting our new clients with employment along with other basic necessities. In this post, we want to highlight the work of our employment services.
Bashar Al-Hariri, the man behind our employment services and English as a Second Language programs!
Bashar Al-Hariri heads employment services in addition to his role as the head of the English as a Second Language program. The Toledo office’s employment program is very successful and has a 100% job placement rate for our clients. Bashar credits Dominic Shamas, who has worked since the Toledo office’s inception in 2014, with the development of the employment program. Dominic has helped our clients find jobs and start their careers here in Toledo as well as help them change jobs when needed. He was especially helpful in finding other jobs for our clients, who were unable to continue working long hours due to health concerns. In coordination with our Women’s Empowerment program, Dominic also helped our female clients find jobs and helped them adjust to the workplace culture. He also assisted them with technical tasks surrounding employment such as paying taxes. Many of these clients are still employed and happy in their workplace today.
One of the main challenges of finding employment for refugees in Toledo is finding jobs for our clients that are the same as the profession they had in their country of origin. Many of our clients have skills and a background in a certain profession; however, in the US they are often unable to get hired in that same profession. This issue is not unique to the refugees at US Together. According to the Migration Policy Institute, 1 in 4 immigrants in the US experience ‘brain waste.’ ‘Brain waste’ describes the experience of many immigrants, who are highly skilled in their home country but when they migrate to the US, they are relegated to low-skilled jobs or unemployed. This may be due to language barriers; their certifications are not recognized in the US and/or their experience elsewhere is not considered as valuable as experience in the US; and a shortage of educational opportunities to gain the skills to pursue a career in their profession.
While many of our clients face these barriers, Bashar explains that they are flexible and willing to learn new skills and pursue new professions in an effort to support their families in Toledo. Some of our clients have even pursued further education after a couple of years in the workforce. While these barriers can be difficult to refugees in the US, it is also is untapped potential for many professional fields in the US.
While our clients may face many barriers to finding satisfying employment, Bashar notes that US Together clients have many stories of success. There have been many instances of connecting clients with professional opportunities that fit their background and also, a couple of clients who after a period of working at their jobs, were given promotions. Employment is essential to self-sufficiency in our community and the staff at US Together are working each day to expand the opportunities available to each of our clients!