Refugee Assessment and Guidance Unit,
London Metropolitan University

ASSET UK Activities

The Refugee Assessment and Guidance Unit (RAGU) was set up in 1995 in order to improve employment prospects of refugees and asylum seekers with higher level education or professional qualifications from their own countries.

RAGU believe that refugees have a wide range of skills and experiences that represent a valuable but under-used resource. Consequently their range of services focus on identifying individual strengths and abilities and providing support towards achieving realistic and relevant educational and employment goals. These services include specifically- targeted training programmes, individual advice and guidance sessions and help into employment through long-term support.

RAGU's main activities on the ASSET UK programme aim to help asylum seekers living in the regions through:

• Production of 7 on-line orientation packs
• Delivery of training sessions for 160 staff who are working with asylum seekers
• Establishment of an UK-wide network of universities to focus on the needs of asylum seekers and refugees who are interested in going to university or who are already students and also on the information needs of staff and students who are working with asylum seekers and refugees

Production of 7 on-line information resources

These address the need for information for asylum seekers in the regions. Information is currently patchy and this website provides well-researched standardised information to meet the needs of asylum seekers and to provide a useful tool to their advisors. Some good information resources already exist, aimed specifically at asylum seekers and refugees, but they tend to cover the whole range of support needs and do not specifically focus on education, training and employment. There are also websites with very detailed information that is useful for asylum seekers but they are often difficult to negotiate and to select what is relevant.

RAGU's website is designed for asylum seekers to use easily. It is aimed at those with intermediate level English, but RAGU is also producing summaries for each unit translated into refugee community languages. The units are detailed and include information about local provision and support in the main areas of dispersal. As they are on-line, they can be regularly updated to reflect policy changes and new services.

Early in the project RAGU had meetings with asylum seekers and their advisors to identify information needs and priorities. The topics for the units developed as a result of these discussions and RAGU's own experience. They are:

1. Improve Your English
2. Understand the UK Education System
3. Get into Further Education
4. Get into Higher Education
5. Get Recognition for your Qualifications and Experience
6. Prepare for Employment
7. Requalifying

Seven units are online now at www.info-for-asylumseekers.org.uk .

RAGU is keen to receive feedback on these units from asylum seekers and refugees and anyone working with them. Please contact us through the feedback form on the website or e-mail Emma Saunders.

Staff training workshops

RAGU has delivered 12 staff training workshops in the regions for approximately 200 staff. Those attending included advisers from colleges, universities, adult education services, careers service, training providers, Job Centre Plus and voluntary and community organisations as well as administrators and librarians. The sessions were well-received and allowed advisers to meet others working with asylum seekers and refugees in their local area. The exchange of local information and expertise was a very useful function of this training.

The workshops were very practical with carefully chosen case studies and small group work followed by discussion with the whole group and feedback from specialist advisors. RAGU also provided information packs for future reference and lists of useful websites for referral and more detailed information.

The timetable for the day and the case studies were tailored to the needs of participants, but a typical one-day workshop included:

Morning:

• Pop quiz to find out what everyone already knew and to start discussion
• Definitions and immigration status
• Looking at the whole experience - a case study - small group discussions
• Rights and entitlements to education, training and employment (including volunteering) and quick examples to look at in pairs

Afternoon:

• Video - an example of one person's experience from arrival to full-time appropriate employment - what made a difference?
• Case studies - bringing together issues from the holistic case study (from morning discussion) and issues around immigration status and entitlement to education, training and employment - small group discussions
• Where to find out more/where to refer

Network of universities working with asylum seekers & refugees

RAGU has set up a network of universities to:

• Focus on the information and support needs of asylum seekers and refugees who are interested in going to university or who are already students
• Provide reliable information for university staff and students who are working with asylum seekers and refugees
• Develop a co-ordinated approach and influence UK policy where possible
• Disseminate and exchange good practice in course and service provision

The network has representatives from universities around the UK and meets every 6 months at London Metropolitan University. Most of the members who are actively involved are establishing new courses, schemes or programmes for refugees. The network is currently developing a website to allow those who are interested in the work of the network but who are unable to attend meetings in London to participate and discuss issues with other members.

Anyone interested in joining the network, please e-mail Susan Davenport .

The UK Asylum Seekers Development Partnership - ASSET UK is part funded by the European Social Fund  under the Equal  Community Initiative Programme.