16 May, 2018 - By Leyla Williams

We are launching a Study and Training Fund

Most of the refugees and asylum seekers who visit us at West London Welcome each week cannot afford English classes, vocational courses, or higher education.

Refugees have the right to work in the UK, but they often need a recognised accreditation before they can take up paid employment, and studying a course and acquiring a qualification is often the only path to working in their chosen field. Asylum seekers, meanwhile, usually cannot work and have no recourse to public funds, making affording courses or classes often impossible.

As such, at West London Welcome we are launching a new Study and Training Fund in partnership with Hammersmith and Fulham Refugees Welcome, who work locally to identify refugees with training needs. An advisory panel at West London Welcome will make decisions on granting awards for courses on the basis of need and suitability. Over the next year, we hope to pay for ten refugees or asylum seekers to complete a study or training course, and aim for at least half of these to attain an accreditation or qualification.

Our ability to provide this important new fund for our clients really depends on – yes, you guessed it – you! We’re extremely grateful for any donations you can send our way. Donate to our new Study and Training Fund on Hammersmith and Fulham Refugees Welcome’s Localgiving page here.