Document

Asylum Seeker andRefugee Skills Audit

January 2005

Report authors:

Jules Harrison and Emma Read

An audit of skills amongst asylum seekers and refugees

Report produced by North West Consortium (East) on behalf of the

Northwest Regional Development Agency

Section Page

Acknowledgements

Executive Summary 1

1 North West Consortium (East) 4

2 Asylum Seekers, Refugees and Employment 5

3 UK Skills Shortage 8

4 Skills Audit 10

4.1 Methodology 10

4.2 Success / Limitations 10

4.3 Basic Analysis 11

4.4 Age and Gender 12

4.5 Nationalities 13

4.6 Language Analysis 15

4.7 Proficiency in English 19

4.8 Educational Level Analysis 20

4.9 Work Experience Analysis 24

4.10 Refugee Settlement 29

5 Conclusion 31

6 Appendices 33

7 Bibliography 59

8 Glossary 60

Contents

The North West Consortium (East) would like to extend our thanks to the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA)

for providing the opportunity and funding to carry out the Skills Audit.

Our thanks to the North West Consortium (East) Local Authorities – Blackburn with Darwen, Bolton, Bury, Manchester,

Oldham, Rochdale, Salford, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford and Wigan, who gave their time to complete the questionnaires

with clients in their area.

Thanks must also go to all the asylum seekers and refugees who gave their time to contribute to this research project.

This Skills Audit report was written by Jules Harrison and Emma Read from the North West Consortium (East).

Acknowledgements

The North West Consortium (East) is a Consortium of the 10 Greater Manchester Local Authorities (Bolton, Bury,

Manchester, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan) and Blackburn with Darwen.The Consortium

was established in 1999 by the Association of Greater Manchester Authorities (AGMA) to facilitate work around asylum

issues in the Northwest (East) region.

The Consortium has an enabling role within the region and nationally to promote good practice and the integration and

settlement for asylum seekers and refugees. The Consortium also has a contract with the National Asylum Support Service

(NASS) for the provision of dispersal accommodation across the 11 member authorities.

In October 2002, North West Consortium (East) hosted a regional Employability Conference, funded by the Northwest

Regional Development Agency (NWDA). The conference aimed to provide delegates with an understanding of some of the

issues and barriers affecting the employability of refugees in the region, and to raise the profile of asylum seekers and

refugees within the economic landscape of the Northwest. In consultation with conference delegates, the NWDA agreed to

fund the North West Consortium (East) to conduct a ‘snapshot’ skills audit of the education and employment history of

asylum seekers and refugees living in the region.

For the NWDA, the idea of a skills audit fits within their strategic objectives in relation to economic inclusion, particularly

towards understanding barriers to labour market participation by disadvantaged groups. These objectives are outlined in the

NWDA ‘Framework for Regional Employment and Skills Action’. The Consortium member Local Authorities agreed to support

the skills audit on the basis that it would be a useful tool in strategic planning for the training needs and employment

potential of asylum seekers and refugees in the region.

The audit aimed to capture information from 1/3rd of all asylum seekers dispersed into Consortium accommodation over a

6-month period. In addition, as many audit questionnaires as possible were to be conducted with people who had been

granted refugee status or leave to remain.

240 asylum seeker questionnaires and 31 refugee questionnaires were completed from across the 8 local

authorities that agreed to take part in the pilot project.

Findings

Profile, Nationality, Main Language and Education:

Asylum Seekers: (total 240)

� 73% were men

� 28% were between the ages of 25 and 29

� 88% were under 39 years of age

� 50 nationalities were represented - the five most frequent were Iraq (18%), Iran (9%), Afghanistan (7%), Democratic

Republic of Congo (6%) and Angola (6%)

� The five most common main languages were Kurdish (16%), Arabic (11%), Farsi (10%), French (7%) and Portuguese (7%)

� 36% stated that they could speak, read and write in more than 1 language

� 27% believed that they were fluent in written and spoken English

� 79% had attended Primary School

� 69% had attended High/Secondary School

� 43% had attended Further or Higher Education

Executive Summary

Page 1

Refugees: (total 31)

� 52% were men

� 29% were between the ages of 25 and 29

� 81% were under 39 years of age

� 10 nationalities were represented – the three most frequent were Iraq (23%), Zimbabwe (19%), and Democratic Republic

of Congo (16%)

� The four most common main languages were English (23%), French (20%), Kurdish (17%) and Arabic (13%)

� 29% stated that they could speak, read and write in more than 1 language


� 77% had attended Primary School

� 68% had attended High/Secondary School

� 26% had attended Further or Higher Education

(All percentages are rounded up.)

Employment Experience and English Language Proficiency:

Asylum Seekers and Refugees

Of the 193 respondents (asylum seekers and refugees) who gave details of their employment in their country of origin, the

four most common standard occupational categories (SOCs - 2000) were:

Skilled Trades (23%), Ran own business (18%), Professional Occupations (15%), and Associated Professional and

Technical (10%).

Skilled Trades: (44)


� 32% stated that they knew only a few written and spoken words in English or no English at all

� Examples of trades included: Farmers, mechanics, builders, electricians.

Ran own business: (34)


� 18% stated that they knew only a few written and spoken words in English or no English at all

� Examples of businesses included: Clothing business, hairdresser, grocery shop, coffee shop, construction business.

Professional Occupations: (28)


� No respondents felt that they had few written and spoken words in English or no English at all

� Examples of occupations included: teachers, health professionals, engineering, social work.

Associated Professional and Technical: (19)


� 1 respondent felt that they had few written and spoken words in English or no English at all

� Examples of occupations included: lab technicians, musicians and armed forces.

Conclusion

The skills audit was designed to provide a ‘snap-shot’ of the educational and employment histories of asylum seekers and

refugees living in the region. This report should enable service providers to recognise the potential positive contribution of

asylum seekers and refugees towards the economy and skills base within the region, and encourage agencies to include

the needs of this diverse group within their own strategic planning.

The North West Consortium (East) and NWDA hope to use the skills audit results to inform the development of a regional

employment and training strategy for asylum seekers and refugees in the Northwest.

A regional strategy on refugee employment should include the following aspects:

� Liaison with employers – promote the recruitment of refugees with regional employers, perhaps creating a regional

Refugee Employment Forum to facilitate the dissemination of information to employers on asylum and refugee issues.

� Liaison with employment agencies – assist with the provision of pertinent information for both employers and potential

employees and by promoting refugees as skilled workers particularly in skills-shortage fields.

� Community Cohesion – highlight the positive contribution that refugees make to their communities and encourage fair

and balanced media coverage of asylum seeker and refugee issues.

� Links with FE colleges and ESOL providers – results of educational audits to be used by local colleges to plan the

provision of courses. Funding for colleges to provide work-based ESOL courses, and other vocational courses where

demand was strong.

� Referral systems – between employers, employer agencies, education providers and local authority asylum support

teams for referral of clients to the appropriate education and employment service providers.

� Research – an ongoing audit of the skills and experiences of refugees and asylum seekers in the region. Regular

compilation of this data to be used to increase awareness amongst employers.

� Qualitative research – to ensure that refugee opinions are included in research on general barriers to employment and

to develop recommendations for making the transition to employment smoother.

The North West Consortium (East) would like to extend thanks to the NWDA for providing the opportunity and funding to

carry out the skills audit, and to the Local Authorities who conducted the questionnaires. Thanks also to the asylum seekers

and refugees who gave their time to contribute to this research.

Jules Harrison

Emma Read

North West Consortium (East)

The functions of the Consortium are managed by a dedicated Project Team, based in Manchester. Operational activities are

managed through a Local Authority Operations Group. Strategic and policy activities are directed though a Local Authority

Lead Officer’s Group, and the Consortium’s Executive Board. The Executive Board consists of elected members and lead

officers from Manchester, Bolton and Rochdale local authorities. Each member Local Authority has a dedicated Asylum

Support Team that provides daily advice and guidance to asylum seekers and manages the dispersal accommodation.

Following the Regional Employability Conference in October 2002, this Skills Audit was commissioned against the

following background:

National Asylum Statistics for 2002.1

Nationalities:

The main nationalities of asylum applicants coming to the UK in 2002 were:

• Iraqi 17%

• Zimbabwean 9%

• Afghanistan 9%

• Somali 8%

• Chinese 4%

Age of applicants:

The majority of principal applicants in 2002 were aged between 18 and 34 (82%).

15% were aged between 35 and 49, and 3% were aged 50 and over.

Gender:

74% of principal applicants in 2002 were male, and 26% female.

Asylum decisions:

Overall in 2002, 84,130 asylum applications were made.

10% of those were granted Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR)

23% were granted Exceptional Leave to Remain (ELR)

67% were refused asylum and ELR

A further 9% were given ILR after the appeal stage, and a further 1% were granted ELR.

NASS support and dispersal:

At the end of December 2002, 54,045 asylum seekers (including dependants) were being supported in NASS

accommodation across the UK.

The top three dispersal regions in England at the end of December 2002 are shown below:

Region Numbers % of total

Northwest 10,310 20% *

West Midlands 10,300 19%

Yorkshire and Humberside 10,215 19%

• This covers the Northwest Region as a whole, including authorities on the West side which are not part of the NWC (East).

1. North West Consortium (East)

Page 4

1 T Heath, R Jeffries & A Lloyd, ‘Asylum Statistics United Kingdom 2002’, 28 August 2003, p.1-14

It is clear that the ability to contribute economically, and therefore socially, is vital for asylum seekers and refugees to feel a

sense of belonging and investment in the UK. The ability to gain employment is viewed as a key indicator or measurement

of the success of an individual’s integration into their host country.

The European Council on Refugees and Exiles (ECRE) – an umbrella organisation of European non-governmental

organisations concerned with refugees - believes that refugees are key social actors in the country of asylum,

and states that:

‘Education, training and employment policies have a significant impact on the empowerment of refugees and affect not

only their economic integration but also their socio-cultural integration. The extent to which education, training and

employment are accessible to refugees, whatever their religious, cultural or ethnic background, can contribute to how far

refugees are able to take advantage of opportunities available and to fully participate in the host society without losing their

own cultural or religious identity.’3

ECRE puts forward a number of specific policy recommendations in relation to access to the labour market, access to

vocational training, discrimination in the labour market and recognition of overseas qualifications.

Currently, the situation regarding the employability of asylum seekers and refugees in the UK is mired in confusion. This

stems in part from government policy relating to the differences between short-term support for asylum seekers, and longer-

term integration for refugees.

Government policy on the issue of employment of asylum seekers is clear - since July 2002, asylum seekers are not

entitled to work whilst they are awaiting the decision on their asylum claim. This removal of the right to work was designed

to discourage people from claiming asylum for economic reasons. The rules governing volunteering for asylum seekers can

also be misleading - asylum seekers are allowed to volunteer but can only receive limited remuneration for expenses.

Refugees, people with leave to remain, and entrants via skilled migration routes, are entitled to work, have access to welfare

benefits and can apply for National Insurance Numbers.

The Government’s White Paper - Secure Borders, Safe Haven: Integration with Diversity in Modern Britain (February 2002) -

set out how the Government proposed to develop their core principles relating to nationality, immigration and asylum policy,

and their commitment to resolving the difficulties faced by refugees trying to enter the job market. Due in part to skills

shortages in areas such as health care and the hotel and catering trades, the Government has introduced various migrant

programmes designed to encourage migrants to apply for entry into the UK on skill-supply grounds as opposed to applying

for asylum. The Government clearly sees employment as a key area for refugees who are seeking to integrate themselves in

the UK and as a tool to prevent social exclusion. Employment is included in the Government’s refugee integration strategy.

The Home Office report ‘Full and Equal Citizens’ asserts that:

‘for highly motivated and skilled people not to be fulfilling their potential in work is clearly a waste. Ensuring that refugees

return rapidly to their former related careers is in the best interests of themselves and their families, as well as the wider

interests of the community.’4

‘Full and Equal Citizens’ also makes reference to the work of the National Refugee Integration Forum (NRIF), a national

forum that brings together local authorities, voluntary organisations, government departments and private sector agencies to

monitor and steer development of a national strategy for integration. The NRIF carries out the majority of its work through 9

sub groups, one of which is the Employment, Training and Adult Education sub group.

3 ECRE, ‘Position on the Integration of Refugees in Europe’, December 2002, p.16

4Home Office, ‘Full and Equal Citizens: A strategy for the integration of refugees into the United Kingdom’, 2000, p.7.

2. Asylum Seekers, Refugees and Employment

The Employment subgroup is considering data on the profile of refugee job seekers; issues around the recognition of

overseas qualifications; work with employers to promote refugees as employees; and consultation with Department for Work

and Pensions to develop a policy on refugee employment. They are also working to address issues around access to

training and education, provision of ESOL, permission to work documentation and employer awareness of refugees.

This subgroup is chaired by Patrick Wintour, who also manages the Employability Forum – a Forum which is working

towards integrating refugees into the national workforce. The Employability Forum is aiming to develop a framework to

assess the skills and experiences of refugees, particularly regarding competence in English Language. The Forum is also

working to promote English Language teaching, ensure refugees have access to careers advice and preparation, and is

helping to establish lines of communication and remove barriers. The Forum also aims to ensure that positive images of

refugees are presented in the workplace.

Barriers to Employment:

The report ‘Refugee opportunities and barriers in employment and training’ by Alice Bloch, published by Department for

Work and Pensions, identified that English language and literacy was the main barrier to preventing refugees from getting a

job. Furthermore, the lack of work experience was identified as the main barrier by nearly one-fifth of refugees and a barrier

by 42%. Other barriers mentioned most often were the absence of qualifications, lack of familiarity with the UK system, and

employer discrimination.5

Another important finding from this research was that the types of employment refugees were

able to access when coming to the UK was much more limited than the jobs they had in their countries of origin. This was

particularly highlighted in the notable lack of involvement in professional level jobs, despite previous experience.6

Personnel Today (2001) have also undertaken a survey of refugees to find out why they are not getting into the employment

market. Many respondents reported that, although they had relevant UK work experience backed up by an overseas

qualification, employers responded that they did not attach value to such qualifications. The survey identified various ways in

which employers could be encouraged in the employment of refugees: the development of a national database of refugees,

measures to cut red tape, and help in understanding how they can verify overseas work experience and the equivalence of

overseas qualifications.

Skills Audits:

A number of similar Skills Audit projects have and are taking place across the country, looking to evaluate the skills and

qualifications of asylum seekers and refugees. Similar projects have also been undertaken by:

• The National Institute of Adult Continuing Education (NIACE)

• The Mayor of London in association with Refugee Women’s Association

• Southampton City Council

• The Back to Work Company (in West Yorkshire)

• The Home Office Immigration Research and Statistics Service (IRSS) undertook a skills audit between November 2002

and January 2003 to look at gaining more understanding of the vocational and language skills, employment history and

qualifications of refugees, and how these relate in the UK context.

5Alice Bloch, ‘Refugees opportunities and barriers in employment and training’, Department for Work 2002, p.113-114

6ibid. p.124

Government Legislation:

Currently, through government legislation:

• Asylum seekers do not have the right to work while their application is being considered. This right was withdrawn in July

2002 (those with work permits issued before then are allowed to work).

• Asylum seekers do not have an entitlement to enter government training schemes.

• Asylum seekers have the right to volunteer.

• Refugees (those given ILR) have the right to work in the UK on exactly the same terms as UK citizens.

• Those who have received ELR, Humanitarian Protection or Discretionary Leave have the right to work for the period for

which they have been granted Leave to remain.

• Refugees are entitled to enter all government training programmes (e.g. New Deal, Work Based Learning for Adults) and

Further and Higher Education.

• Employers, under the 1996 Asylum and Immigration Act, are subject to penalty fines if they are caught employing

someone without the correct documentation which proves they are entitled to work.

Any employment strategy for refugees should take account of the UK labour market, to identify booming and declining

sectors and therefore to maximise the potential skills and qualifications of this group.

The Skillsbase website, which tracks such trends, has identified that there has been an increase, during the last thirty years,

in demand for skilled employees compared to low-skilled employees. For example, in 1971, manual occupations accounted

for around half of all employment, but by 1999 this proportion had fallen to below 40%. At the same time, jobs in

managerial, professional and associate professional categories expanded to account for 37% of the workforce in 1999,

compared with 27% in 1971.

A number of explanations have been put forward to account for this change, including the introduction of new technologies,

changes in trade patterns – including growing competition from low wage countries and increased market pressures - and

changes in how work is organised and structured.7

The national trend of a declining demand for manual occupations is reflected in the Northwest and is set to continue in the

region as manufacturing is expected to decline by some 100,000 jobs over the next 10 years (14% of the total job losses in

this sector). Business and miscellaneous services are predicted to dominate the overall employment increases -

establishing 1.78 million new jobs across the UK over the period to 2010.

Overall, the Northwest is expected to incur job losses at a rate of around 2% per annum, and alongside Scotland, London

and the North East, is projected to experience employment growth at a slower rate than across the UK as a whole.8

Alongside this research, the Government has, in recent years, identified a number of skills shortages in certain sectors of

the UK labour market, and has begun to highlight the significance of this for the economy:

‘The skills of our people are a vital national asset. Skills help businesses achieve the productivity, innovation and profitability

needed to compete. They help our public services provide the quality and choice that people want. They help individuals

raise their employability, and achieve their ambitions for themselves, their families and their communities. Sustaining a

competitive, productive economy which delivers prosperity for all requires an ever growing proportion of skilled, qualified

people. We will not achieve a fairer, more inclusive society if we fail to narrow the gap between the skills-rich and the

skills-poor.’9

The Employers Skill Survey (ESS) 2002 estimated that there were currently 550,000 vacancies in the national job market -

45% (245,000) were said by employers to be hard to fill and of those, 46% (approx. 110,000) were defined as skill-shortage

vacancies.10

The ESS detailed the five most commonly cited hard-to-fill vacancies as sales assistants, elementary personal service,

health associate professionals, customer service occupations, and transport drivers and operatives.11

Furthermore, the survey found that skill-shortage vacancies were most likely to occur among professional staff (most

commonly in education), associate professionals (in health and social care) and skilled trade (in construction), which

coincidently also suffered the most from recruitment difficulties.12

7 see www.skillsbase.dfes.gov.uk, Change in demand, p.2

8 www.skillsbase.dfes.gov.uk, Projections – Regional Trends, p.4-5

9 www.skillsbase.dfes.gov.uk - Definitions

10 www.skillsbase.dfes.gov.uk – Employers Skill Surveys, p.1

11 www.skillsbase.dfes.gov.uk – Skills Deficiencies, p.3

12 op.cit. Employers Skill Surveys, p.1

3. UK Skills Shortage

Page 8

Clearly, the Government recognises the implications of not tackling the issue of skill-shortage - which at its most serious

can result in a loss of business to competitors, and lead to difficulties in reaching quality standards. The data obtained in

the 2002 ESS Survey confirms that a shortage of skills is a key factor that may prevent an organisation from achieving their

goals, stating:

‘The implication is that there is considerable scope for further investment in skill acquisition if the ambition of securing a

long term improvement in economic performance is to be achieved.’13

Government interest in managing the increase in migration across Europe has most likely been affected by this need to

reduce skills shortages. The Home Office Immigration & Nationality Directorate launched a Highly Skilled Migrant

Programme (HSMP) on 28 January 2002. The HSMP was originally a pilot programme, designed to allow exceptionally

talented people to apply to work in the UK - based on a points system rather than compelling employers to apply for an

individual’s work permit. Following its success, the programme has been extended indefinitely. Home Office Minister

Beverley Hughes (MP) announced in October 2003 that the HSMP has taken on 3,721 people in fields such as medicine,

music and engineering:

‘We will shortly be expanding the scheme to attract and enable skilled applicants to work in the UK and to take the

achievements of partners into account when considering an application… The Government welcomes those with the skills

to help the UK prosper both economically and culturally.’14

Medicine:

The Refugee Council and the British Medical Association have introduced a database specifically for refugee doctors, to

assist them as they prepare to continue their medical careers in the UK. The Department of Health has also recommended

that refugees should be offered free clinical attachments, to which some local health authorities have responded positively.

Furthermore, the BMA have waived the fees for PLAB Part 1 exams for those with ELR or refugee status.

13 op.cit. Skills Deficiencies p.7

14 Home Office Press Notice 276/2003

Page 9

4. Skills Audit

4.1 Methodology

A questionnaire consisting mainly of tick box questions was developed (see Appendix 8), collecting data on:

• Nationality

• Languages – spoken, written, read

• Age

• Dependants

• Employment experience in particular fields

• Length of employment

• Schooling levels

• English Language proficiency

The skills questionnaire was conducted by some of the member Local Authority Asylum Teams in the North West

Consortium region: Blackburn with Darwen, Bolton, Bury, Manchester, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, and Trafford.

The audit set out to collect data from two main groups of client:

• Asylum Seekers dispersed to the Northwest Region.

• People with positive asylum decisions who had been living in the Northwest.

It was agreed that each Asylum Seeker Team (AST) would aim to complete a questionnaire for roughly a third of all asylum

seekers who arrived during the initial three-month pilot. This was then be followed by an additional three-month period.

The project commenced on 18th November 2002, and ended 6th June 2003.

The Audit also aimed to capture up to 50% of clients who had been given positive asylum decisions, and who could decide

to remain in the Northwest. Audit questionnaires for this group also included questions on whether or not the clients were

aiming to stay in the Northwest and what type of employment they were hoping to get.

The decision to complete skills questionnaires at the same time as AST staff were conducting other interviews meant that

existing arrangements regarding interpreters could be utilised. There was also the option for some ASTs to work in

partnership with local colleges/ESOL providers, in order to complete questionnaires as part of induction into the college. This

system was used in Bolton for some of their questionnaires.

4.2 Success/Limitations

There were a number of issues that affected the scope of the skills audit. These include:

1) Not all member LAs could commit to involvement in the Skills Audit, due mainly to constraints of staff time and

resources.

2) Most LAs were unable to complete the recommended number of questionnaires, particularly for refugee clients.

This was due to a shortage in staff resources, distrust from clients as to the reasons for the audit, and the priorities

of new refugees when facing issues relating to housing and support. On receiving a positive decision, new

refugees can remain in NASS-supported accommodation for a maximum of 28 days – in practice this is often

closer to 14 days once the decision has been passed through the system - therefore refugees have little time in

which to complete questionnaires and are occupied in finding accommodation and employment.

3) There was some lack of consistency across different ASTs in terms of the assumptions and standards employed in

completing the questionnaires. This may have been borne out of the need for more formal training on completion of

the questionnaire, and also due to limitations on staff time and resources.

4) Due to the nature of the skills audit, questionnaires were only conducted by ASTs within local authorities. This has

meant that the results are limited to the profile of asylum seekers the Consortium receives through dispersal, which

is also dependent on the profile of our accommodation matching the requirements of those asylum seekers

awaiting dispersal. There are a large number of asylum seekers dispersed to Private Sector Providers in the region

who have not been included in this audit.

5) Questionnaires were mainly restricted to the main applicants of each asylum case, which is predominantly the male

in the family. Therefore, there is the risk that the results miss the skills and employment histories of women.

6) Overall, numbers of asylum seekers have dropped throughout 2003 particularly since the Government introduced

the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002. In particular, Section 55 allows for the refusal of support for those

not claiming asylum ‘as soon as reasonably practical’. NASS do still have significant numbers of large families in

Emergency Accommodation awaiting dispersal. Unfortunately, Consortium properties cannot cater for many of these

families. This coupled with the drop in single asylum seekers eligible for NASS support because of Section 55 has

meant a gradual reduction in the number of people being dispersed to the region.

4.3 Basic Analysis

Throughout the analysis, the results from the asylum seekers and refugee audits are detailed separately.

Asylum Seeker audit:

A questionnaire was agreed to be completed for every one in three asylum seekers, therefore a target of 400 surveys

were expected from 8 Local Authorities within the Consortium. 240 asylum seeker questionnaires were completed,

making the overall rate of return 60%.

Local Authority Target number Number of surveys

of surveys completed

Blackburn 40 60

Bolton 75 19

Bury 40 32

Manchester 80 68

Rochdale 65 10

Stockport 30 14

Tameside 40 28

Trafford 30 9

TOTALS 400 240

Oldham, Salford and Wigan local authorities did not take part in the audit.

Refugee audit:

31 refugee questionnaires were completed.

4.4 Age and Gender

Asylum Seekers audit:

73.3% of respondents were male, 23.3% were female, 3.3% not known. Respondents were aged between 18 and

60+, with the majority of respondents being between 25 and 29 years old (28%). 88.4% of asylum seeker

respondents were under 39 years old.

The audit respondents can be seen to reflect the typical profile of asylum seekers in general, with many more male

respondents than female. This is representative of the fact that many asylum seekers are young males, either singles,

or as the head of families. The age range is also typical of the type of people who claim asylum – those who may be

avoiding conscription into armed forces, those whose families pay for them to leave before they become involved in

systems that may lead to economic, political or cultural oppression, and those who are healthy enough to survive

often arduous journeys.

Refugees audit:

52% of refugee respondents were male, 48% were female. Respondents were aged between 18 and 59, with the

majority of respondents being between 25 and 29 years old (29%). 81% of respondents were under 39 years old.

The refugee audit is slightly different in terms of gender and age profile, with more women and younger people

represented. Whilst it is difficult to extrapolate robustly from such a small sample, it is useful to highlight some of the

reasons why the audit may give an insight into the profile of the refugee population. Whilst a large proportion of

asylum seekers are young men, within refugee populations the spread across family and gender type is broader.

Women (either single women or single parents) are often subject to visible forms of persecution that may make their

asylum claim stronger. The rape of women is a common result of persecution and is often used as a tool of war. Many

women claim asylum following the disappearance or death of their husbands or fathers as they feel that this points to

credible risks to their own lives. The vulnerability of unaccompanied asylum seeking children and young people who

have lost their families also makes it more likely that they will be given some sort of leave to remain.

Local Authority Total number of

surveys completed

Bolton 18

Bury 8

Stockport 3

Trafford 2

TOTAL 31

4.5 Nationalities

Asylum Seekers audit:

50 nationalities were represented in the audit, with the top seven nationalities detailed below:

Iraqis 18%

Iranians 9%

Afghans 7%

Congolese 6%

Angolans 6%

Zimbabweans 5%

Other African 11% (representing 14 African countries)

The remainder of respondents came from 30 other countries –

see Appendix 1 for a complete breakdown of asylum seekers by nationality.

1009080706050403020100

44

2116 14

Nationality

No. of

Asylu

m S

eekers

13 13

26

93

Iraq Iran Afghanistan DemocraticRepublicof Congo

Angola Zimbabwe OtherAfrican

OtherNationalities

Top 7 Nationalities

Refugees audit:

10 nationalities were represented in the refugee survey, and were broken down as follows:

Iraqis 23%

Zimbabweans 19%

Congolese 16%

Somalis 7%

Sudanese 7%

Iranians 7%

Pakistanis 7%

Other African 10% (representing 3 countries – Cameroon, Burundi and one unknown)

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

0

2

5

1

2

6

Nationality

3

7

2 2

1

Somalia Dem. Rep.Congo

Angola Sudan Zimbabwe OtherAfrican

Iraq Iran Pakistan Others/Not Known

No. of

Refu

gees

The representation of over 50 countries within such as a small sample of respondents is testament to the diversity

both of asylum seekers in general and of the regional asylum seeker and refugee population. The policy of dispersal

of asylum seekers away from London and the South East to the regions has contributed greatly to the complexity of

nationality and culture within local communities across the Northwest. This very effectively highlights the situation that

local service providers face in ensuring access to their services for such a complex cultural and lingual client base.

The nationalities represented in both asylum seeker and refugee audits largely correspond with the national picture of

who is claiming asylum. Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan are countries characterised by religious and civil oppression and

war and which have been internationally acknowledged as such for a number of years. Similarly, African countries

such as Zimbabwe and the Democratic Republic of Congo are countries where the human rights of nationals are

consistently undermined by the actions of government and various warring factions.

Refugees by Nationality

4.6 Language Analysis

A substantial number of questions in the audit asked about language. Primarily this was to identify a client’s main

language(s), and to ascertain their literacy level in this language and other languages if applicable. Therefore, the

questionnaires collected information on people’s ability to speak, read and write in different languages. For example,

one refugee might have indicated that two languages applied to them in general, and he/she could have indicated

that they could write in both of those languages. Another example might be that an asylum seeker indicated that they

could speak in all three languages, but could only read or write in one of those languages.

The table below compares the responses of both asylum seekers and refugees.

‘All that Apply’ refers to the languages that asylum seekers and refugees felt applied to them in general - so it could

be languages they could speak or write for example. ‘Can Read’ refers to the languages respondents felt they could

read, ‘Can Speak’ indicates the languages asylum seekers and refugees felt they could speak, and finally ‘Can Write’

refers to the languages respondents could write.

Unfortunately some respondents did not answer, and responses varied in that some did not answer the ‘all that apply’

question, but gave detail on languages they could speak, read and write, for example, 64% of asylum seekers

indicated that one language applied to them, but 66% indicated they could read one language.

For the sake of clarity, percentages have been rounded up to the nearest whole number. All percentages refer to the

total number of respondents that replied to each individual question.

See below for a breakdown of all asylum seeker languages that apply.

Overall, a high proportion of asylum seekers and refugees replied that they felt one language applied to them in

general and the majority felt they could speak, read and write in one language only, with slightly more refugees

responding positively to one language compared with asylum seekers.

Almost a third of asylum seekers felt they could read, speak and write in two languages, compared to approximately a

quarter of refugees. A small percentage of asylum seekers felt they could read, speak and write in four languages.

Overall, 36% of asylum seeker respondents and 29% of refugee respondents indicated that they could read, speak

and write in more than 1 language, which illustrates the range of skills and potential the asylum seekers had. See

Appendix 3 for pie charts depicting these statistics.

Language Profile All that Apply Can Read Can Speak Can Write

No. of Languages a/s ref. a/s ref. a/s ref. a/s ref.

One Language 64% 71% 66% 76% 56% 70% 68% 76%

Two Languages 27% 22% 30% 20% 32% 22% 27% 20%

Three Languages 8% 7% 3% 4% 10% 9% 4% 4%

Four Languages 1% 0% 1% 0% 2% 0% 1% 0%

100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100%

Note: Figures do not equal total number of respondents to the survey.

Below is a graphical representation of the languages indicted in the ‘Other’ category.

Page 16

Other

English

Punjabi

Sorani

Amharic

Spanish

Tigrean

Lingala

Swhaili

Polish

Czech

Turkish

Russian

Portugese

Urdu

Albanian

Romanian

Somali

Pushtu

French

Dari

Arabic

Farsi

Kurdish

Frequency (No’s.)

48

20

8

4

4

3

6

13

8

6

7

4

10

18

13

7

1

5

6

33

11

30

43

40

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

All languages that asylum seekers felt applied to them.

See Appendix 2 for a table detailing the ‘other’ languages asylum seekers and refugees felt applied to them, their main

languages and the languages they can speak, read and write.

Main Language:

Respondents were then asked to indicate which language they considered to be their main language. The most common

main language was Kurdish (15.7%), followed by Arabic (11.2%), then Farsi (10%), then French (6.9%) and Portuguese

(6.5%). 16.9% listed ‘Other’ main languages, including English (3.6%) and Shona (2.4%). See Appendix 2 for a table

detailing the other 17 main languages.

Spoken Languages:

The most commonly spoken language was Arabic at 13.3%. The second most common languages was Kurdish (10.4%),

then French at 9.8%, followed by Farsi (8.9%) and English (5.6%, listed in ‘Other’). 18.9% listed ‘Other’ spoken languages,

which included Shona (2.4%) and Ndebele (1.2%). See Appendix 2 for a table detailing the other 25 spoken languages.

ZuluXhosa

South KoreanSindhiShena

RomanyRatanOclog

NdebeleMongolianMandinkaLugando

LithusnianLango

KirunishItalianIshan

GypsyGujrati

GermanFulaEdoCrio

ChilubaBosnian

KakcuArmenian

Frequency (No’s.)

0

2

8

111

111

1

111

1111111111

52

2

2

2

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Lang

uage

Breakdown of ‘other’ langauges

Languages respondents could read:

The language most common in this category was Arabic (13.3% of languages ticked), followed by Kurdish (10.9%), French

(9.5%), Farsi (8.8%) and Portuguese (6.3%). ‘Other’ languages represented 18.6% of languages ticked and include English

(6%) and Shona 2.8%. See Appendix 2 for a table detailing the other 19 spoken languages.

Written Languages:

Arabic was the most common language respondents could write - representing 12.9% of total respondents in this section.

11.1% of respondents could write in Kurdish, 9.7% French, 9% Farsi and 6.5% Portuguese. 19.4% could write in ‘Other’

languages, including English (6.1%) and Shona (2.2%). See Appendix 2 for a table detailing the other 20 languages.

Refugees audit

Below is a complete breakdown of all the refugee languages that apply:

Of those that ticked ‘Other’, additional information showed that 11 of those listed English, 1 listed Shona, 1 listed Burundi, 1

listed Saraik and 1 language was unknown.

A comparison between the information given by asylum seekers and refugees on languages (all that apply) reveals that

Arabic, French, Kurdish and Farsi feature in both samples as the most common languages.

Overall, the data on main languages reflects that of the key nationalities. These languages are the most common languages

spoken in Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan and parts of Africa.

Main Language:

The most common main language among refugees was English (23.3%, listed under ‘other’), followed by French (20%),

Kurdish (16.7%), and Arabic (13.3%). See Appendix 2 for a table listing the other 5 main languages.

Page 18

Not Known

Shona

Saraik

Burundi

English

Punjabi

Lingala

Urdu

Somali

French

Arabic

Farsi

Kurdish

Frequency (No’s.)

0

1

1

1

1

11

1

2

2

2

4

6

5

3

2 4 6 8 10 12

All languages that refugees felt applied to them.

Spoken Languages:

The most commonly spoken language was French and English, representing 17.6% of responses each. These were followed

by Arabic and Kurdish at 11.8% each, and Urdu (8.8%). See Appendix 2 for a table listing the other 7 spoken languages.

Languages respondents could read:

The language most commonly able to be read was English, representing 23.5% of responses. This is followed by Arabic

(17.6), French (14.7%), and Kurdish and Urdu (both representing 8.8% of the total responses). See Appendix 2 for a table

detailing the other 6 read languages.

Written Languages:

English was the most common language respondents could write - representing 23.5% of total respondents in this section,

followed by Arabic (17.6%), French (14.7%) and Kurdish and Urdu – each representing 8.8% of the total responses in this

section. See Appendix 2 for a table listing the other 6 written languages.

Interestingly, more refugees could write English (23.5%) compared to only 6.1% of asylum seekers. This could be due to

the delay many asylum seekers face in waiting for a decision on their asylum application; together with the fact that many

asylum seekers are keen to access English classes.

4.7 Proficiency in English


The levels of proficiency in spoken and written English varied across the respondents. 27% believed themselves to be

fluent in written and spoken English, 35% felt they had some written and spoken English, and 17% felt they had some

spoken English language skills. As the table below shows, more females (as a percentage) felt they were fluent in

written and spoken English compared to males. Furthermore, of the 236 respondents to this question, 6 stated they

had an ESOL qualification, representing 3% of the total.

Note:

4 asylum seekers did not respond to this question, therefore percentages refer to the 236 that did.

All figures are rounded up to the nearest whole number.

No additional details were asked of those who stated they had an ESOL qualification, so qualifications may vary.

Page 19

Level of English Language Total Male Female Gender Unknown

% No. % No. %. No. %. No.

Fluent written & spoken 27 64 23 41 39 21 67 2

Fluent spoken 5 12 7 12 0 0 0 0

Some written & spoken 35 83 37 66 31 17 0 0

Some spoken 17 39 17 31 13 7 33 1

Few words written & spoken 10 24 11 19 9 5 0 0

No English at all 6 14 6 10 7 4 0 0

TOTALS 100 236 100 179 100 54 100 3

ESOL qualification 3 6 1 2 2 4 0 0

Refugees audit

The proficiency in spoken and written English was marginally better compared with the asylum seeker sample. 32% felt they

were fluent in written and spoken English, 26% felt they had some written and spoken English, and 16% stating they had

no English at all. As the table below shows, more females (as a percentage) felt they were fluent in written and spoken

English compared to males.

Note:

Percentages do not always total 100, due to rounding up.

No additional details were asked of those who stated they had an ESOL qualification, so qualifications may vary.

4.8 Educational Level Analysis

This section of the questionnaire was designed to collect information on the type of schooling each client had

received, and for how long they received it. The questions specified Primary, High School and Further

Education/Higher Education and options for none, not known and other.


Primary School:

79% of respondents attended primary school, and of this figure, 72% were male, 27% women, (1% information

missing). The majority (52) of respondents had received 6 years primary school education.

Further analysis of the data revealed that 92% of female respondents (representing 56/240 total questionnaires) had

received primary education, and 76% of men (180/240) had attended primary school. Average attendance was 5.6

years.

High School:

69% of respondents attended high school, and of this figure, 72% were male and 26% were female, (2% information

missing). The majority (26) listing 4 years of attendance at high school.

Further analysis of the data revealed that 77% of the total female respondents attended high school, compared with

66% of males. On average, respondents had received 5 years of high school education.

Level of English Language Total Male Female

% No. % No. %. No.

Fluent written & spoken 32 10 25 4 40 6

Fluent spoken 7 2 13 2 0 0

Some written & spoken 26 8 25 4 27 4

Some spoken 10 3 19 3 0 0

Few words written & spoken 10 3 13 2 7 1

No English at all 16 5 6 1 27 4

TOTALS 100 31 100 16 100 15

ESOL qualification 3 1 3 1 0 0

Further Education Higher Education:

43% of respondents (104/240) had attended Further Education or Higher Education. Of this figure 75% were male,

and 24% female (1% information missing). A total of 32 subjects were studied at further/higher education institutions.

Appendix 4 gives a full breakdown of some of the detail respondents provided. Subjects ranged from accountancy,

teaching, electronics, mechanical engineering, business/ administration and IT to psychology. Information was limited

regarding the specific qualifications respondents had, but many stated they had attained diplomas, bachelor degrees

and 1 respondent had attained a masters degree.

Further analysis of the data revealed that 45% of females had further education or high education qualifications,

compared with 43% of males.

Those who attended some form of further or higher education did so for 3.4 years on average. The majority (23) stated

they had received 2 years of this level of education.

Overall, the data suggests that asylum seekers had not completed their courses for reasons such as war, economic

difficulties or being forced to leave their country.

Refugee audit:

Primary School:

A similar number of refugees as asylum seekers had attended primary school. A total of 77% attended primary school,

46% of whom were male and 54% female. The majority (4) of respondents had received 6 years primary school

education. As with the Asylum Seeker Audit, a higher proportion of females (87%) had received primary education

compared with male respondents (69%).The average attendance was 5.5 years.

High School:

68% of refugees had received high school education, 52% of whom were male and 48% female. The majority (3)

listing 5 years of attendance at high school.

Further analysis revealed that 67% of females had attended high school, compared with 69% of male - again a similar

level of the attainment as asylum seekers. On average, respondents had received 5.9 years of high school education.

Further Education/Higher Education:

26% of refugees received Further or Higher Education, split evenly between male and females. Of the 8 refugees who

had received further/ higher education, 5 did not specify what subject they had studied, however the remaining three

studied business management, marketing and sales management, and civil engineering.

Further analysis of this data revealed that 27% of female respondents had received further or higher education,

compared with 25% of males.

Those who attended some form of further or higher education did so, on average for 4 years.

See below for a breakdown of length of time in schooling:

Note:

One respondent specified they had attended Higher Education/Further Education for 17 years and another one for 18 years.

These have been removed from the table above in order to calculate a more accurate average year of schooling.

See Appendix 4 for a breakdown of FE/HE subjects.

Asylum Seekers

Length of time at level Further Education/

of education Primary School High School Higher Education

1 Year 2 1 9

2 Years 6 10 23

3 Years 6 14 17

4 Years 13 26 15

5 Years 21 19 8

6 Years 52 23 1

7 Years 16 7 1

8 Years 10 4 1

9 Years 1 0 0

10 Years 2 4 0

11 Years 0 1 0

12 Years 1 2 0

Further Education/

Primary School High School Higher Education

% of people attending 79% 69% 43%

Total no. of people attending 190 165 104

No. of respondents who specified

length in schooling 130 111 75

Total years of schooling 734 556 227

Average years of schooling 5.6 5 3

Note:

One respondent specified they had attended High School for 9 years; this however has not been included in the table

above in order to calculate a more accurate average year of schooling.

Refugees

Length of time at level Further Education/

of education Primary School High School Higher Education

1 Year 0 0 0

2 Years 0 0 2

3 Years 1 1 0

4 Years 0 0 0

5 Years 2 3 2

6 Years 4 1 1

7 Years 1 2 0

8 Years 0 0 0

Further Education/

Primary School High School Higher Education

% of people attending 77% 68% 26%

Total no. of people attending 24 21 8

No. of respondents who specified

length in schooling 8 8 5

Total years of schooling 44 47 20

Average years of schooling 5.5 5.9 4

4.9 Work Experience Analysis

This section was intended to gather information pertaining to the employment experience of asylum seekers and

refugees. Respondents were asked to provide information on their careers in their country of origin and the length of

time they were employed for. They were asked to place their occupations under pre-defined headings such as ‘hotel

and catering’ and ‘semi-skilled manual’.

The audit was designed to capture as much information as possible about what type of employment respondents had

been engaged in prior to seeking asylum. As a result, the categories listed in the audit were broad and designed to

encourage people to respond with as much detail as possible.

When the audit results were analysed, however, this information was re-classified where possible to fit with UK

employment categories – Standard Occupational Classifications 2000 (SOC). In some cases (269) the lack of detail

provided by respondents made it difficult to classify them under the SOCs. In addition, SOCs do not include activities

such as ‘housewife’, ‘student’ or ‘unemployed’.

For the purpose of analysing the potential contribution of asylum seekers and refugees to the UK employment field,

the following analysis has been limited to the results as re-classified under the SOCs. Data showing the original

categorisation is shown in Appendix 5.

The Standard Occupational Classifications, 2000 (SOC), are sub divided into the following major groups:

Managers & Senior Officials, Professional Occupations, Associated Professional & Technical, Administrative &

Secretarial, Skilled Trade, Personal Services, Sales & Customer Service, Process, Plant & Machine Operatives,

Elementary Occupations, Other, Ran own Business.

Following the reclassification, the data below represents information given on 193 occupations.

All percentages relate to the audit results from the 193 occupations detailed.

Of those 193 asylum seekers and refugees who gave details of their occupations, 22.8% were employed in ‘skilled

trades’ - which was the most popular employment field. 17.6% of respondents ‘ran their own business’, the second

most popular form of occupation, followed by ‘professional occupations’ (14.5%). See the table below for further

information.

Following on from the re-classification detailed above, respondents whose work experience matched the SOCs were

analysed in terms of their fluency in English. This analysis provides an invaluable insight into:

� The correlation between certain skills/occupations with fluency in English.

� The importance of having accessible good quality English language teaching at an appropriate level.

� The potential need for vocationally appropriate English language teaching.

� The potential to maximise the skills and experience brought into the region by asylum seekers and refugees.

The analysis below highlights some of the different jobs categorised under the SOCs and provides an indication of the

numbers of respondents with that occupation who stated they were fluent in English. This analysis combines the results

from both the asylum seeker and refugee audits, however, only those respondents who supplied enough detail for the re-

classification exercise detailed above are included.

Appendix 6 contains a more detailed analysis of this matching between occupational information and fluency in English. For

ease of comparison, only those respondents who described their ability to communicate in English as either fluent, or who

stated that they could only speak or write a few words of English/had no English skills at all, are included in the analysis.

Managers & Senior Officials:

1 Corporate Manager and Senior Official

1 Production Manager

1 Manager in Distribution, Storage and Retailing

3 Protective Service Officers (incl. 1 refugee)

1 Manager and Proprietor in Hospitality and Leisure Services (refugee)

1 Manager and Proprietor in Other Service Industries

50% of the asylum seekers and 100% of refugees in this category stated that they were fluent in written and spoken

English.

Ran Own Business

Other

Elementary Occupations

Process, Plant and Machine Operatives

Sales and Customer Services

Personal Services

Skilled Trades

Aministrative and Secretarial

Assoc. Professional and Technical Professional

Professional Occupations

Managers and Senior Officials

0

17.6

2.1

7.8

4.7

6.2

6.2

9.8

14.5

4.1

4.1

22.8

5 10 15 20 25

Percentage

Occupato

nal

Cla

ssif

icati

ons

Employment Experience

Professional Occupations:

3 Engineering Professionals

3 Health Professionals

16 Teaching Professionals (incl. 1 refugee)

1 Legal Professional

1 Business and Statistical Professional

3 Public Service Professionals

1 Librarian and Related Professional

41% of asylum seekers in this category stated they were fluent in written and spoken English.

Associated Professional & Technical:

1 Science and Engineering Technician

2 Health Associate Professionals

2 Social Welfare Associate Professionals

4 Protective Service Occupations

4 Artistic and Literacy Occupations (incl. 1 refugee)

2 Media Associate Professional (incl. 1 refugee)

1 Sports and Fitness occupation (refugee)

2 Sales and Related Associate Professionals

1 Public Service and Other Associate Professional (refugee)

33% of asylum seekers in this category and 50% of refugees stated they were fluent in written and spoken English.

Administrative & Secretarial:

2 Administrative occupations – Government and Related organisations

3 Administrative occupations – Finance (incl. 1 refugee)

5 Administrative occupations – General (incl. 2 refugees)

2 Secretarial and Related Occupations

44% of asylum seekers and 33% of refugees in this category stated they were fluent in written and spoken English.

Skilled Trades:

15 Agricultural Trades

2 Metal Forming, welding and related Trades

6 Vehicle Trades

8 Electrical Trades

2 Construction Trades

5 Building Trades

1 Textiles and Garments Trades

4 Food Preparation Trades

1 Skilled Trade (refugee)

Of the 43 asylum seekers whose occupations fitted into the Skilled Trades category, 21% responded that they were fluent in

written and spoken English, and 33% stated that they only knew a few written and spoken words in English or had no

English at all.

Personal Services:

1 Leisure and Travel Services (refugee)

6 Hairdressers and Related Occupations

1 Housekeeping Occupations

Of the 7 asylum seekers in this category, 43% were fluent in written and spoken English and 14% stated they had few

words or had no English at all. The refugee in this category was fluent in written and spoken English.

Sales & Customer Service:

10 Sales Assistants and Retail Cashiers (incl. 2 refugees)

2 Sales Related Occupations (refugees)

38% of asylum seekers in this category stated they were fluent in English, with 13% stating they had few words or had no

English at all. Of the 4 refugees in this category, 3 stated they were fluent in English and 1 had few words/no English at all.

Process, Plant & Machine Operatives:

1 Process Operative

1 Plant and Machine Operatives

6 Transport Drivers and Operatives

1 Mobile Machine Drivers and Operatives

44% of asylum seekers in this category stated they were fluent in written and spoken English, with 11% stating they had

few words written and spoken/no English at all.

Elementary Occupations:

3 Elementary Agricultural Occupations

6 Elementary Process Plant Operatives

4 Elementary Personal Services Occupations

1 Elementary Cleaning Occupation

1 Elementary Security Occupations

Of the 15 asylum seekers in this category, 40% believed themselves to be fluent in written and spoken English, with 13%

stating they had few words in written and spoken English/no English at all.

Other 4 (incl. 1 refugee):

These included working for a Human Rights Organisation, working as an Aid worker, working for Price Water Cooper, and

working as a First Aid worker.

Of the 3 asylum seekers in this field, 1 stated they were fluent in written and spoken English.

Ran own Business:

34 (incl. 4 refugees)

Businesses ranged from owning retail shops like grocery and electrical shops to businesses offering a variety of services –

for example, a cleaning business, construction business and take-away business.

See Appendix 7 for more detail of all the businesses run by asylum seekers and refugees.

Of the 30 asylum seekers who stated they ran their own business, 27% stated they were fluent in written and spoken

English, and 17% said they had few written and spoken words/no English. 25% of refugees were fluent in English and 25%

stated they had few words written and spoken English/no English.

This analysis clearly highlights that many asylum seekers have come from countries where they were employed in areas

that would have required a high-level education and diverse skills.

The analysis above illustrates the wide range of occupations and work experience of some asylum seekers and refugees

living in the Northwest. It also goes some way to undermining the impression that asylum seekers are motivated solely by

economics in travelling to the UK. Many of the professions in which asylum seekers were working in before leaving their

country of origin are ones requiring a high level of education and skills and would have provided a relatively high standard

of living.

The re-classification of employment experience in Standard Occupational Classifications (SOCs) to enable the robust

analysis above necessarily excluded those respondents who provided only basic information on their work experience and

therefore could not be classified appropriately. Respondents who stated that they had been a ‘housewife’, ‘student’ or

‘unemployed’ were also excluded as these categories are not recognised under the SOCs. 193 asylum seekers and 21

refugees were included in the re-classification exercise and analysis.

The tables below show the breakdown of work experience of asylum seeker respondents by the original categories,

including ‘housewife’, ‘student’ and ‘unemployed’. In order not to lose the important information provided by the remainder of

the respondents not included above, full details of their work experience is included in Appendix 5.

Asylum Seeker audit

OtherHousewife

StudentUnemployed

Ran Own BusinessUnskilled manual

Semi-skilled manualSkilled Trades

Process, Plant and Machine OpeativesPersonal Services

ITAdministrative and Secretarial

Assoc. Professional and Technical ProfessionalProfessional Occupations

Managers and Senior OfficialsArmed Forces

Agriculture

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14

Percentage

Em

plo

ym

ent

Cate

gory


Refugee Audit:

4.10 Refugee Settlement

An additional number of questions were specifically asked of refugees, aimed at gathering information on their

aspirations for long-term settlement. Respondents were asked if they would settle permanently in the Northwest, their

employment aspirations, their preferred choice of training or educational courses (if any) and the barriers they believed

they would face in achieving their choice of employment.

When asked whether they would stay in the Northwest, 68% (21) did want to remain in the Northwest, 26% (8) did

not, and 6% (2) of respondents replied that they did not know.

When asked what sort of employment they would be looking for, 42% (13) replied that they would be looking for work

in the following areas - factory work, interpreting, clothing/tailoring industry, media, football related work, industrial

work, computer related, police force, airline pilot and the airlines. 16% (5) of respondents stated that they were not

looking for employment, 13% (4) replied that they were looking for anything, 19% (6) did not know and 10% (3) did

not respond.

OtherHousewife

StudentUnemployed

Ran Own BusinessUnskilled manual

Semi-skilled manualSkilled Trades

Process, Plant and Machine OpeativesHotel & Catering

Sales and Customer ServicesPersonal Services

ITAdministrative and Secretarial

Assoc. Professional and Technical ProfessionalProfessional Occupations

Managers and Senior OfficialsArmed Forces

Agriculture

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18

Percentage

Em

plo

ym

ent

Cate

gory


When asked what sort of training they would like to receive, the most frequent answer was English, with 9

respondents listing this as a training priority. Other answers included:

computing (4)

gardening (1)

bilingual work (1)

teaching (1)

media (1)

pilot’s licence (1)

painting/decorating (1)

hairdressing/nursing (1)

education (1)

A total of 5 respondents did not know what training they would like to receive, 3 replied anything, 1 respondent

replied this was not applicable and 5 respondents did not respond to this question.

Respondents were also asked what they felt would make it difficult for them to find the kind of job they wanted. By

far the most frequent barrier highlighted was a lack of English (61%). The table below outlines the responses in full:

A further 2 respondents were not sure what barriers to employment they would face and a further 5 did not respond

to this question.

Difficulties Envisaged Frequency

Lack of English 17

Health 3

Childcare responsibilities 2

Lack of references 2

Availability of jobs 2

Qualifications not accepted 1

Lack of skills 1

The skills audit was designed to provide a ‘snap-shot’ of the educational and employment histories of asylum seekers and

refugees living in the region. This report should enable service providers to recognise the potential positive contribution of

asylum seekers and refugees towards the economy and skills base within the region, and encourage agencies to include

the needs of this diverse group within their own strategic planning.

The North West Consortium (East) and NWDA hope to use the skills audit results to inform the development of a regional

employment and training strategy for asylum seekers and refugees in the Northwest.

A regional strategy on refugee employment should include the following aspects:

Liaison with Employers:

The NWDA and employment agencies could encourage the creation of links between refugees and regional employers, to

remove barriers between jobs and those skilled to do them. The form these links take could include the creation of a

regional Refugee Employment Forum to facilitate the dissemination of information to employers on asylum and refugee

issues, work permits, overseas qualifications and related legislation governing the right to work. There may be scope to

assist with the establishment of support services for employees in the workplace – perhaps a formal/informal mentoring

scheme, and help could also be extended to potential refugee employees, offering them valuable work-based placements

that would enable them to use their skills and gain experience. Existing employee-rights organisations could be encouraged

to target information and advice at refugee and asylum seeking populations, to advise on issues such as the National

Minimum Wage. Furthermore, a commitment could be extended to refugees seeking to set up their own business and

those wanting to volunteer as a method of gaining work experience.

Liaison with Employment Agencies:

A regional strategy could look to encourage liaison with employment agencies in much the same way as employers, by

assisting with the provision of pertinent information both for employers and potential employees, and by promoting refugees

as skilled workers particularly in skill-shortage fields.

Community Cohesion:

A regional strategy needs to place employment at the centre of its plan to empower refugees and asylum seekers, and

would highlight the positive contribution they make to communities. Fair and balanced media coverage of asylum seeker

and refugee issues is also vital in dispelling popular misconceptions about the value of diversity within the region.

Development of links with Further Education Colleges and ESOL teachers:

A regional strategy for the employment of refugees could look to assist education providers where appropriate. For example,

the results of education audits amongst asylum seeker and refugee populations could be used by local colleges in planning

the provision of courses. The NWDA could investigate potential sources of funding for colleges to enable them to provide for

employer demands for work-based ESOL courses, other vocational courses, and to establish support networks to enable

those with professional qualifications to utilise them or retrain as necessary.

Referral systems:

Central to any regional strategy could be the formulation of referral systems between employers, employer agencies,

education providers and local authority teams in order for referrals of clients with Leave to Remain (Indefinite Leave,

Humanitarian Protection or Discretionary Leave) to appropriate education and employment service providers. An

employment strategy would have to build in an evaluation process to ensure that the advice given to clients was

appropriate and successful.

5. Conclusion

Research:

A regional employment strategy for refugees could be strengthened by an ongoing audit of the skills and experiences of

refugees and asylum seekers in the region. The compilation and dissemination of this data to employers would increase

the awareness employers have of this valuable client group and would provide a regular pattern of movement in and out of

the region.

Qualitative Research:

A regional employment strategy could benefit from the inclusion of refugee opinions in research on general barriers to

employment, and from their suggestions for making the transition to employment smoother.

By pursuing these suggestions there may be the potential to breakdown structural barriers to integration and minimise the

marginalisation and exclusion of this client group. Inclusion in the economic prosperity of the region would also impact

positively on people’s sense of belonging and empowerment. This in turn, may contribute overall to the perception amongst

existing communities of the value and potential contribution of asylum seekers and refugees to the UK.

Appendix 1 – Breakdown of Nationalities

45 40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0

Others/Not Known

Other Asian

India

Pakistan

Afghanistan

Other Middle East

Iran

Iraq

Gambia

Algeria

Uganda

Nigeria

Zimbabwe

Sudan

Ethiopia

Rwanda

Angola

Democratic Republic of Congo

Other African

Sierra Leone

Somalia

Other South American

Colombia

Czech Republic

Poland

Russia

Romania

Other Former USSR

Albania

Other Former Yugoslavian

Turkey35

24

12

66

1

36

2

26

1414

33

6

13

33

7

1

44

21

9

16

11

12

3

Countr

y

No. of Asylum Seekers

Nati

onality

of

Asylu

m S

eekers

Appendix 2 – ‘Other’ Languages

Language All that Apply Main Language Can Speak Can Read Can Write

Armenian 2 0 2 0 0

Bakou 1 1 0 0 0

Bosnian 1 0 1 1 1

Chiluba 1 0 1 1 1

Crio 1 1 1 0 0

Edo 1 1 1 1 1

English 20 9 19 17 17

Fula 1 0 1 1 1

German 1 0 1 0 0

Gujrati 1 1 1 1 1

Gypsy 1 1 1 1 1

Hebrew 0 0 0 0 1

Ishan 1 1 1 1 1

Italian 2 0 2 1 1

Kirunish 1 1 1 0 1

Lango 1 1 1 1 1

Lithuanian 1 1 1 1 1

Luganda 2 2 1 1 1

Mandinka 1 0 1 0 0

Mongolian 2 2 2 2 2

Ndebele 5 3 4 4 4

Oolof 1 1 1 0 0

Ratan 1 1 1 1 1

Romany 1 1 1 1 1

Shona 8 6 8 8 8

Sindhi 1 1 1 1 1

South Korean 1 0 1 1 0

Swahili 0 0 1 0 0

Xhosa 1 0 1 1 1

Zulu 2 2 2 2 2

Not known 5 5 4 4 4

Language All that Apply Main Language Can Speak Can Read Can Write

Burundi 1 0 1 1 1

English 11 7 6 8 8

Saraik 1 0 1 0 0

Shona 1 0 1 1 1

Not known 1 0 2 0 0

Asylum Seekers - Breakdown of ‘other’ category in Languages

Refugees

Appendix 3 – Language Analysis

Language Analysis: Asylum Seekers

149.64%

64.27%

20.8%3.1%

1 Language

2 Languages

3 Languages

4 Languages

121.56%

4.2%22.10%

68.32%

1 Language

2 Languages

3 Languages

4 Languages

No. of Languages that Apply

No. of Languages Asylum Seekers can speak

132.65%

2.1%8.4%

61.30%

1 Language

2 Languages

3 Languages

4 Languages

140, 68.3%

4, 0.5%8, 3.9%

56, 27.3%

1 Language

2 Languages

3 Languages

4 Languages

No. of Languages Asylum Seekers can Read

No. of Languages Asylum Seekers can Write

20, 66%

8, 27%

2, 7%

1 Language

2 Languages

3 Languages

16, 64%

7, 28%

2, 8%

1 Language

2 Languages

3 Languages

Language Analysis: Refugees

No. of Languages that apply

No. of Languages Refugees can Speak

19, 70%

1, 4%

7, 26%

1 Language

2 Languages

3 Languages

No. of Languages Refugees can Read

19, 70%

1, 4%

7, 26%

1 Language

2 Languages

3 Languages

No. of Languages Refugees can Write

Appendix 4 – FE/HE Subjects

Asylum Seeker audit

FE/HE Subjects Frequency

Accountancy 2

Administration/ Banking & Finance 1

Biology 3

Business/Administration 3

Chemistry 1

Civil Engineering 1

Commercial Studies 1

Cosmetic and Beauty 1

Economics 1

Electronics 3

Engineering 2

Geography 1

Geology 1

Hairdressing 1

Health 1

Industry 1

International Relations 1

IT 2

Law 1

Literature 2

Maths 1

Mechanical Engineering 2

Mechanics 1

Medicine 1

Music 1

Muslim History and Geography 1

Nursing 1

Psychology 3

Purchasing 1

Secretarial 1

Teaching 6

Technical Diploma 1

No Information 54

Total 104

Appendix 5 – Employment Experience Analysis

Asylum Seeker audit

Employment Experience Sample occupations Frequency

Agriculture Farmer 14

Worker on Farm 3

Dairy Technician 1

Armed Forces Intelligence Officer 1

Soldier 1

Navy 1

Managers & Senior Officials Dept. International Development 1

Airport Manager 1

Professional Occupations Lecturer 1

Lecturer- Mechanical Engineering 1

Teacher 7

Primary School Teacher 4

Journalist 1

Doctor 2

General Medical Technician 1

Psychologist 1

Trainee Lawyer 1

Police Officer 2

Central Intelligence Officer 1

Human Rights Organisation 1

Engineer 1

Guitarist 1

Computer Engineer 1

Bank Assistant 1

Associated Professional & Technical Accounts 1

Lab Technician 1

Electrician 1

Motor Mechanic 1

Government Organisation 1

Mechanical Engineer 1

Teacher 1

Administrative & Secretarial Clerk 1

Clerk- Ministry of Agriculture 1

Auditor in bank 1

Secretary 2

Administrator in oil company 1

Administrator in medical company 1


IT Commercial Buyer in IT 1

Personal Services Pastor 1

Security Guard 1

Information & Advice Worker 1

Cosmetics 1

Hairdresser 2

Barber 1

Piano Teacher 1

Sales & Customer Services Sales- American Express 1

Petrol Station Supervisor 1

Shop Assistant 4

Assistant in Food Shop 1

Assistant in family bookshop 1

Hotel & Catering Chef 2

Waitress 1

Family Restaurant 1

Manager Restaurant 1

Butcher 1

Process, Plant & Machine Operatives Driver 1

Machine Operative 1

Packing 1

Skilled Trades Civil Engineer 1

Electrician 5

Building Trade 3

Motor Mechanic 4

Driver 2

Crane Driver 1

HGV Driver 1

Manager at Print Works 1

Factory Worker 2

Carpenter/ Joiner 1

Metal Welder 1

Glass Fitter 1

Hairdresser 1

Barber 1

Asylum Seeker audit (continued)


Semi-Skilled Manual Building Trade 1

Upholster 1

HGV Driver 1

Decorator / Welder 1

Packing 1

Textile Mill Worker 1

Garage Mechanic 1

Electrician 1

Factory Worker 1

Unskilled Manual Shop Assistant 1

Painter 1

Ran own business Electrical Shop 1

Electrical Repair Shop 1

Construction Business 2

Textiles Business 1

Garage & Video shop 1

Cleaning Business 1

Rice Business 1

Clothing Business 3

Hairdresser 3

Ran own business Barber 1

Taxi Driver 1

Grocery Shop 3

Export Business 1

Butcher 1

Coffee Shop 2

Events Organiser 1

Goldsmith 1

Sweet Shop 1

Market Stall 1

School 1

Other Human Rights Org. 1

Aid Worker 1

Housekeeper 1

Care Worker- hospital 1

Nurse 1

Taxi Driver 1

Librarian 1

Asylum Seeker audit (continued)


Shop Keeper 1

Shop assistant 1

Social Worker 2

Gardener 1

Cleaner 1

Price Water Cooper 1

Musician 2

Refugee audit


Armed Forces Retired Major 1

Professional Occupations Football coach 1

Journalist 1

Airline Flight Attendant 1

Administrative & Secretarial Personnel Worker 1

Bank Cashier 1

Clerical Assistant 1

Worker in newspaper Company 1

Sales & Customer Services Shop 1

Shop Assistant 1

Sales 1

Sale Representative 1

Skilled Trades Goldsmith 1

Ran own business Fruit & Veg Stall 1

Shop 1

Electrical Shop 1

Confectionary Business 1

Other Musician 1

Writing in red corresponds with the responses given by refugees only, all other information relates to asylum seekers.

Occupations and figures in blue or green indicate the level of English Language the respondent felt they had.

ASYLUM SEEKER AND

REFUGEE EMPLOYMENT OCCUPATION FREQUENCY FLUENT -WRITTEN & FEW WORDS WRITTEN

EXPERIENCE SPOKEN, FLUENT SPOKEN AND SPOKEN, NO ENGLISH

MALE FEMALE GENDER MALE FEMALE GENDER

UNKNOWN UNKNOWN

MANAGERS &

SENIOR OFFICIALS

CORPORATE MANAGERS

Corporate Managers

and Senior Officials Dept. of

International

Development 1 0 1 0

Production Managers Print works 1

Functional Managers

Quality and Customer

Care Managers

Financial Institution

and Office Managers

Managers in Distribution,

Storage and Retailing Airport Manager 1

Protective Service Officers Intelligence

Officers 3 1, 1 0 0

(1,1)

Retired Major

Health and Social

Services Managers

MANAGERS

& PROPRIETORS

IN AGRICULTURE

& SERVICES

Managers in Farming,

Horticulture, Forestry

and Fishing

Managers and Proprietors

in Hospitality and

Leisure Services Catering 1 0 1 0

Appendix 6 – Employment Experience in

Relation to Fluency in English

ASYLUM SEEKER AND




UNKNOWN UNKNOWN

Managers and Proprietors Petrol Station

in Other Service Industries Supervisor 1 1 0 0

PROFESSIONAL

OCCUPATIONS

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

PROFESSIONALS

Science Professionals

Engineering Professionals Civil engineer

(1), Mechanical

engineer (1),

Engineer (1) 3 1 0 0

Information and

Communication

Technology Professionals

HEALTH PROFESSIONALS

Health Professionals Doctor (1,1),

Psychologist (1) 3 2 0 0

TEACHING

PROFESSIONALS

Teaching Professionals Lecturer (1),

Lecturer -

Mechanical

Engineering (1),

Teacher (2, 3,1),

Primary school

teacher (3, 4),

Piano teacher (1) 16 4 3 0

RESEARCH

PROFESSIONALS

ASYLUM SEEKER AND




UNKNOWN UNKNOWN

BUSINESS

& PUBLIC SERVICE

PROFESSIONALS

Legal Professionals Trainee Lawyer 1

Business and Statistical

Professionals Auditor - Bank 1

Architects, Town Planners,

Surveyors

Public Service Professionals Social worker

(2), Pastor (1) 3 1 0 0

Librarians and Related

Professionals Librarian 1

ASSOCIATED

PROFESSIONAL

& TECHNICAL

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

ASSOCIATE

PROFESSIONALS

Science and Engineering

Technicians Lab technician 1

Draughtspersons and

Building Inspectors

IT Service Delivery

Occupations

HEALTH & SOCIAL

WELFARE ASSOCIATE

PROFESSIONALS

Health Associate

Professionals Nurse (1),

General Medical

technician (1) 2 1 0 0 0 1 0

Therapists

ASYLUM SEEKER AND




UNKNOWN UNKNOWN

Social Welfare Associate Care worker (1),

Professionals Information

& Advice

worker (1) 2 0 1 0

PROTECTIVE SERVICE

OCCUPATIONS

Protective Service Soldier (1),

Occupations Navy (1), Police

Officer (1,1) 4 1 0 0

CULTURE, MEDIA

& SPORTS OCCUPATIONS

Artistic and Literacy Guitarist (1),

Occupations Musician (2, 1) 4 1 0 0

Design Associate

Professionals

Media Associate

Professionals Journalist (1,1) 2 1 0 0

Sports and Fitness

Occupations Football Coach 1 1 0 0

BUSINESS & PUBLIC

SERVICE ASSOCIATE

PROFESSIONALS

Transport Associate

Professionals

Legal Associate

Professionals

Business and Finance

Associate Professionals

Sales and Related

Associate Professionals IT Buyer (1),

Property Dealer

(1) 2 0 1 0

Conservation Associate

Professionals

Public Service and

Other Associate Professionals Personnel worker 1

ASYLUM SEEKER AND




UNKNOWN UNKNOWN

ADMINISTRATIVE

& SECRETARIAL

ADMINISTRATIVE

OCCUPATIONS

Administrative Occupations: Clerk - Ministry

Gov. and related of Agriculture (1),

organisations Government

organisation (1) 2 1 0 0

Administrative Occupations: Bank assistant

Finance (1), Accounts (1),

Bank Cashier (1) 3 0 1 0

Administrative Occupations:

Records

Administrative Occupations:

Communications

Administrative Occupations: Clerk(1),

General Administrator -

Oil company (1),

Administrator -

Medical

company (1),

Clerical

assistant (1),

worker in

newspaper

company (1) 5 0 1 0

SECRETARIAL & RELATED

OCCUPATIONS

Secretarial and Related

Occupations Secretary (2) 2 0 2 0

ASYLUM SEEKER AND




UNKNOWN UNKNOWN

SKILLED TRADES

SKILLED AGRICULTURAL

TRADES

Agricultural Trades Farmer (4, 8, 2),

Gardener (1) 15 2 0 0 7 1 0

SKILLED METAL &

ELECTRICAL TRADES

Metal Forming, Welding Metal Welder

and Related Trades (1,1) 2 1 0 0 1 0 0

Metal Machining, Fitting and

Instrument Making Trades

Vehicle Trades Motor Mechanic

(3,3) 6 3 0 0

Electrical Trades Computer

Engineer (1),

Electrician (3, 4) 8 4 0 0

SKILLED CONSTRUCTION

& BUILDING TRADES

Construction Trades Carpenter/joiner

(1), Glass fitter

(1) 2 1 0 0

Building Trades Building Trade

(1,3), Painter (1) 5 1 0 0

TEXTILES, PRINTING &

OTHER SKILLED TRADES

Textiles and Garments

Trades Upholster 1

Printing Trades

Food Preparation Trades Chef (1,1),

Butcher (2) 4 1 0 0 1 0 0

Skilled Trades Goldsmith 1

ASYLUM SEEKER AND




UNKNOWN UNKNOWN

PERSONAL SERVICES

CARING PERSONAL

SERVICES

Healthcare and Related

Personal Services

Childcare and Related

Personal Services

Animal Care Services

LEISURE & OTHER

PERSONAL SERVICES

Leisure and Travel Services Airline Flight

Attendant 1 0 1 0

Hairdressers and

Related Occupations Hairdresser (1,2),

Barber (1,1),

Cosmetics (1) 6 2 1 0 1 0 0

Housekeeping Occupations Housekeeper 1

Personal Services

Occupations

SALES

OCCUPATIONS

Sales Assistants and

Retail Cashiers Shop Assistant

(3,3,2), Shop

assistant - food

shop (1), Shop

Assistant -

Family

Bookshop (1) 10 0 3, 1 0 1,1 0 0

Sales Related Occupations Sales

representative (2) 2 1 1 0

ASYLUM SEEKER AND




UNKNOWN UNKNOWN

PROCESS, PLANT

& MACHINE

OPERATIVES

PROCESS, PLANT

& MACHINE OPERATIVES

Process Operatives Dairy Technician 1 0 0 1

Plant and Machine Machine

Operatives Operative 1

Assemblers and Routine

Operatives

Construction Operatives

TRANSPORT & MOBILE

MACHINE DRIVERS

& OPERATIVES

Transport Drivers and

Operatives HGV Driver (1,1),

Taxi Driver (1),

Driver (1,2) 6 2 0 0 1 0 0

Mobile Machine Drivers

and Operatives Crane Driver 1 1 0 0

ELEMENTARY

OCCUPATIONS

ELEMENTARY TRADES,

PLANT & STORAGE

RELATED OCCUPATIONS

Elementary Agricultural

Occupations Farm worker

(1,1,1) 3 1 0 0 1 0 0

Elementary Construction

Occupations

Elementary Process Plant

Occupations Packing (1,1),

Factory Worker

(3), Textile Mill

Worker (1) 6 1 0 0

ASYLUM SEEKER AND




UNKNOWN UNKNOWN

Elementary Goods

Storage Occupations

ELEMENTARY

ADMINISTRATION

Elementary Administration

Occupations

Elementary Personal

Services Occupations Waitress (1),

Restaurant

Worker (2,1) 4 2 1 0

Elementary Cleaning

Occupations Cleaner 1 1 0 0

Elementary Security

Occupations Security Guard 1 1 0 0

Elementary Sales

Occupations

OTHER Human Rights

Organisation 1

Aid Worker 1

Price Water

Cooper 1 1 0 0

First Aid Worker 1

RAN OWN BUSINESS Total: Ran Own

Business: 34 6, 1 2 0 4,0 1,1 0

Barber 1

Butcher 1

Events Organiser 1

Goldsmith 1

Hairdresser 3 0 1 0

School 1

ASYLUM SEEKER AND




UNKNOWN UNKNOWN

RAN OWN BUSINESS Total: Ran Own

(continued) Business:

Taxi Driver 1

Coffee Shop 2 1 0 0

Electrical Shop

(1,1) 2

Electrical Repair

Shop 1

Grocery Shop 3

Garage & Video

shop 1 1 0 0

Market Stall,

Fruit & Vegetable

Stall 2 0 1 0

Shop Keeper

(1,1) 2 0 1 0

Sweet Shop 1 1 0 0

Cleaning

Business 1 1 0 0

Clothing

Business 3 2 1 0

Confectionary

Business 1 1 0 0

Construction

Business 2 1 0 0

Export Business 1

Rice Business 1 1 0 0

Takeaway

Business 1 1 0 0

Textiles

Business 1 1 0 0

Appendix 7 – Types of ‘Own Business’

Asylum Seekers and Refugees

Ran own Business Frequency

Barber 1

Butcher 1

Events Organiser 1

Goldsmith 1

Hairdresser 3

School 1

Taxi Driver 1

Coffee Shop 2

Electrical Shop 1,1

Electrical Repair Shop 1

Grocery Shop 3

Garage Video Shop 1

Market Stall / Fruit & Vegetable Stall 1,1

Shop Keeper 1,1

Sweet Shop 1

Cleaning Business 1

Clothing Business 3

Confectionary Business 1

Construction Business 2

Export Business 1

Rice Business 1

Takeaway Business 1

Textiles Business 1

34

Note:

Information in red corresponds with the responses given by refugees only.

All other information relates to details provided by asylum seekers.

Appendix 8 – Questionnaires

Asylum Seeker Questionnaire

Language: Tick all Main Can Can read Can

that language speak in write in

apply: this language language

language

Kurdish

Farsi

Arabic

Dari

French

Pushtu

Somali

Romanian

Albanian

Urdu

Portuguese

Russian

Turkish

Czech

Polish

Swahili

Lingala

Tamil

Tigrean

Spanish

Amharic

Sorani

Punjabi

Other

Nationality: Tick which

applies:

Europe

FRY

Turkey

Other Former Yugo.

Albania

Other Former USSR

Romania

Other

Russia

Ukraine

Poland

Czech Republic

Americas

Columbia

Other

Ecuador

Africa

Somalia

Sierra Leone

Other

Dem. Rep. Congo

Angola

Rwanda

Ethiopia

Sudan

Zimbabwe

Nigeria

Uganda

Algeria

Ghana

Kenya

Ivory Coast

Gambia

Tanzania

Middle East

Iraq

Iran

Other

Asia

Afghanistan

Sri Lanka

Pakistan

Other

China

India

Bangladesh

Others/Not Known

Age: Please tick:

-18

18-24

25-29

30-34

35-39

40-49

50-59

60+

Dependents: Number: Main

Carer?

Pre-school:

Primary school age:

Secondary school age:

Adult:

Other Adults in 'family':

Total:

Gender: Please tick:

Male:

Female:

Employment Experience: Tick all How long did

that apply: Details: you do this

work?

Agriculture:

Armed Forces:





IT:

Personal Services:

Sales & Customer Services:

Hotel & Catering:


Skilled Trades

Semi-skilled manual:

Unskilled manual:

Ran own business:

Unemployed:

Student:

Housewife/home-based carer:

Other:

Schooling Tick all For how

that apply: Details: long?

Primary

High School

FE/HE

None

Not known

Other:

English Language Proficiency: Tick which

applies:

Fluent written & spoken

Fluent spoken

Some written & spoken

Some spoken

Few words written & spoken

No English at all

ESOL qualification

Refugee Questionnaire

Language: Tick all Main Can Can read Can

that language speak in write in

apply: this language language

language

Kurdish

Farsi

Arabic

Dari

French

Pushtu

Somali

Romanian

Albanian

Urdu

Portuguese

Russian

Turkish

Czech

Polish

Swahili

Lingala

Tamil

Tigrean

Spanish

Amharic

Sorani

Punjabi

Other

Nationality: Tick which

applies:

Europe

FRY

Turkey

Other Former Yugo.

Albania

Other Former USSR

Romania

Other

Russia

Ukraine

Poland

Czech Republic

Americas

Columbia

Other

Ecuador

Africa

Somalia

Sierra Leone

Other

Dem. Rep. Congo

Angola

Rwanda

Ethiopia

Sudan

Zimbabwe

Nigeria

Uganda

Algeria

Ghana

Kenya

Ivory Coast

Gambia

Tanzania

Middle East

Iraq

Iran

Other

Asia

Afghanistan

Sri Lanka

Pakistan

Other

China

India

Bangladesh

Others/Not Known

Age: Please tick:

-18

18–24

25–29

30–34

35–39

40–49

50–59

60+

Dependents: Number: Main

Carer?

Pre-school:

Primary school age:

Secondary school age:

Adult:

Other Adults in 'family':

Total:

Gender: Please tick:

Male:

Female:

Employment Experience: Tick all How long did

that apply: Details: you do this

work?

Agriculture:

Armed Forces:





IT:

Personal Services:

Sales & Customer Services:

Hotel & Catering:


Skilled Trades

Semi-skilled manual:

Unskilled manual:

Ran own business:

Unemployed:

Student:

Housewife/home-based carer:

Other:

Schooling Tick all For how

that apply: Details: long?

Primary

High School

FE/HE

None

Not known

Other:

English Language Proficiency: Tick which

applies:

Fluent written & spoken

Fluent spoken

Some written & spoken

Some spoken

Few words written & spoken

No English at all

ESOL qualification

Are you intending to stay in the Northwest?

What sort of employment will you be looking for?

What sort of training/education courses would you like to take?

What things do you think will make it difficult for you to find the kind of job you want?

7. Bibliography

Fiona Aldridge & Sue Waddington, ‘Asylum Seekers’ Skills and Qualifications Audit Pilot Project’, NIACE, 2001

Alice Bloch, ‘Refugees opportunities and barriers in employment and training’, Department for Work, 2002

Hildegard Dumper, ‘Missed Opportunities: A skills audit of refugee women in London from the teaching, nursing and

medical profession’, Mayor of London in association with Refugee Women’s Association, December 2002

ECRE, ‘Position on the Integration of Refugees in Europe’, December 2002

T Heath, R Jeffries & A Lloyd, ‘Asylum Statistics United Kingdom 2002’, 28 August 2003, p.1-14

Home Office, ‘Full and Equal Citizens: A strategy for the integration of refugees into the United Kingdom’, 2000.

Home Office Press Notice 276/2003

Immigration and Nationality Directorate website: www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk

Skillsbase website: www.skillsbase.dfes.gov.uk

8. Glossary

BMA British Medical Association

DWP Department of Work and Pensions

EEA European Economic Area

ELR Exceptional Leave to Remain

ESOL English for Speakers of Other Languages

GMC General Medical Council

ILM Intermediate Labour Market

JSA Job Seekers Allowance

LA Local Authority

NASS National Asylum Support Service

NHS National Health Service

NIACE National Institute of Adult Continuing Education

NINO National Insurance Number

NRIF National Refugee Integration Forum

NVQ National Vocational Qualification

NWDA Northwest Regional Development Agency

PGCE Post Graduate Certificate in Education

RCN Royal College of Nursing

The Northwest Regional Development Agency

manages all operations from its Headquarters at:

PO Box 37

Renaissance House

Centre Park

Warrington WA1 1XB

Tel: +44 (0)1925 400 100

Fax: +44 (0)1925 400 400

e-mail: [email protected]

Greater Manchester

Giants Basin

Potato Wharf

Castlefield

Manchester M3 4NB

Tel: +44 (0)161 817 7400

Fax: +44 (0)161 831 7051

Merseyside

Station House

Mercury Court

Tithebarn Street

Liverpool L2 2QP

Tel: +44 (0)1925 400 100

Fax: +44 (0)151 236 3731

Cheshire

Brew House

Wilderspool Park

Greenalls Avenue

Warrington WA4 6HL

Tel: +44 (0)1925 644 220

Fax: +44 (0)1925 644 222

Cumbria

Gillan Way

Penrith 40 Business Park

Penrith

Cumbria CA11 9BP

Tel: +44 (0)1768 867 294

Fax: +44 (0)1768 895 477

Lancashire

13 Winckley Street

Preston

Lancashire PR1 2AA

Tel: +44 (0)1772 206 000

Fax: +44 (0)1772 200 049

In addition, there are five area offices for the

implementation of local activities as follows:

NWDA KADM 01/05 18788

Visit: www.nwda.co.uk & www.englandsnorthwest.com

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