Helping Ukrainian refugees into employment

Published: 12 August 2022

Ukrainian refugees in Exeter are being given help and support to find employment in the city.

Staff from Exeter City Council’s HR department were among a whole host of employers who attended the latest Employment Support Session at Exeter Works.

The City Council was able to talk to the Ukrainian jobseekers about career opportunities at the local authority, which include HGV drivers and swimming pool lifeguards.

Exeter Works has been running the popular sessions since May, offering advice and help for those seeking a job. 

Some of Exeter and Devon’s biggest employers have attended the sessions, including the Environment Agency, Exeter College, McDonalds, IKEA and the South West Water.

Rosie Bates, Skills & City Inclusivity Manager, said: “Our Ukrainian guests are coming to us with a wide range of skills. A lot of them are highly qualified, so we are looking at some specialist sessions to support those, such as; IT and engineering.

“We have already supported a group of finance and accountancy professionals to looks at matching their existing qualifications to English ones.  We have a translator available at our sessions to support those who need help with English and get them signed up for lessons.”

The next sessions at Exeter Works are on 25 August, 8 and 22 September, from 12 to 3pm.