The Refugee Consortium

Redefining refugees as a national asset rather than a liability through partnerships which place the private sector, the owners of future skills and jobs, at the heart of the solution. Only through changing the current workforce will these disadvantaged youth ever gain the skills to contribute to the future workplace.

Refugees are considered an intractable global problem. Another, more positive, global problem is “the war for talent”: how companies find and nurture talent to ensure their future success. These issues are considered mutually exclusive. The Refugee Consortium proposes to contribute to the resolution of each through combining them.

The Refugee Consortium redefines refugees as a workforce asset, not a national liability. To be a part of the workforce of the future, refugees must take a meaningful role in today’s workforce.

The Refugee Consortium brings together the world's most innovative companies and pairs them with leading educational institutions which, supported by governments, finds, assesses, develops and creates employment opportunities for young refugees.

Refugees are ‘sourced’ through organisations who house asylum seekers through the application process. The Consortium assesses and streams talent before running a year-long development programme delivered through a mix of face-to-face interventions and a cutting-edge on-line app. Refugees are mentored by Consortium members employers, and Consortium members provide intern and employment opportunities. Other organisations pay The Refugee Consortium for access to refugee talent, similar to a recruitment consultancy. A second app “The Refugee Hub” is an app delivering employability advice to all refugees.

This central model can be implemented in all countries, while flexing to adapt to national, or sectoral requirements.

Ideally, Consortium members would be the most forward-focused employers in the world who immediately grasp the potential of defining a new talent pool to make their own businesses more successful.  Refugees suffer from major reputational problems and a critical part of the transformation from ‘liability’ to ‘asset’ will require a global campaign led by some of the world’s most admired people.

Only through such a bold solution can the world’s most disadvantaged young have a chance to meaningfully become the workforce of the future. 

Refugee numbers are the highest ever - 65 million. First-time asylum seeker applications (using 2015 EU data) are disproportionately young: 82% below 35; 26% below 18. Refugees are one of the most vulnerable groups of migrants in the labour market taking up to 20 years to achieve a similar employment rate as native-borns. There is international consensus on the strategic elements for successful labour market integration. No country has achieved refugee integration into labour markets. How can refugees become a successful contributor to the workforce of the future if they are not included in today’s workforce?

A paradigm shift is needed. From: Refugees are “a government problem” TO “a private sector talent solution”. The private sector is capable of leading an international solution which treats the integration of young refugees into the labour market as a new talent pool. Companies own the global workforce and define current and future skills not governments. Currently labour market integration is considered a national competence and government-led. Businesses can do what governments can’t: solve the world’s biggest problems (A Better World, Inc: How Companies Profit by Solving Global Problems where Governments Cannot). 

The Refugee Consortium will provide a development and employment platform for the most disadvantaged young people in the world. A more level playing field will be created into the current workforce so that thousands of young refugees can, most immediately, improve their own futures, gain self-esteem and contribute appropriately to the economy of their host country. In the longer term, they are positioned to have a voice and actively contribute to conversations about the future workforce. The solution will be deployed by an international Consortium, led by leading companies, which finds asylum seeking talent, develops them and provides employment opportunities. 

Track refugees' employment status post-The Refugee Consortium - The Refugee Consortium will provide a development and employment platform for the most disadvantaged young people in the world.

Track refugees' employment status and sense of self post-The Refugee Consortium - A more level playing field will be created into the current workforce so that thousands of young refugees can, most immediately, improve their own futures, gain self-esteem and contribute appropriately to the economy of their host country.

Track refugees' general status (e.g. career development, employment, satisfaction and contribution) post-The Refugee Consortium - In the longer term, they are positioned to have a voice and actively contribute to conversations about the future workforce.

No-one is trying to create a global, private-sector led solution to the global refugee crisis. Many are working on elements of the problem but overall refugees continue to be considered a 'problem' not a 'talent solution'. The Refugee Consortium wants to provide development and employability services to hundreds of thousands of young refugees. To do this it will rely on a high-quality, market-leading, bespoke, educational, technological platform to deliver much of the development elements. A "Refugee Hub" accessible to all refugees worldwide giving development and employability advice is also a new use of technology. 

Today’s young refugees have smart phones etc. They are still part of the digital generation. Utilising technology by developing an app to help educate the world’s most disadvantaged group is a natural solution and inherently human in its application. If the target group were a much older generation, using technology at the heart of the education process may work less well. We would want to involve refugees into the design and testing of the app, and constantly seek feedback and evolve it once it is being used.

Refugees will be assessed for potential by The Refugee Consortium and those who are successful will be provided with access to the development app for their development year. It will include on-line development such as language skills, plus be created specifically to work hand-in-hand with all elements of the development programme e.g. the face-to-face development, on-line mentoring. A second app, "The Refugee Hub" will be accessible to The Refugee Consortium alumni as well as all other interested alumni. Use of either app will not cost any refugees any money. 

The proposal is that Consortium members share the costs of running the Consortium ultimately. Initial costs are two full time employees, the two founders, and the costs of running the development programme as it pilots. As it starts, we, the two founders, will need to survive on whatever funding we can secure in the early days. If none at all is forthcoming, we will continue to consult to the private sector as well as running the Consortium, as we have been doing. As we evolve, Consortium members join expecting a cost contribution in return for access to a new talent pool and the chance to be part of an innovative global solution.

Not having the contacts to set up a globally influential organisation which tackles one of the hardest issues facing the world today! Not attracting influential enough individuals who are prepared to take a risk and align themselves and their reputation with what is an undoubtedly unpopular cause. People paying lip service to the importance of a 'diverse' workforce in the future, but, truly, only really wanting well-educated Western safe options. Employers not seeing the potential of refugees as a resilient, exciting new talent pool for their current and future workforce. 

The greatest number of young refugees can be helped fastest by creating an international, influential Consortium supported by leading-edge technology which supports the first-of-its-kind development and employability programme. Solve wants to solve global problems. Not become a Solver will inevitably mean starting locally (the UK, as that's where we're based) and slowly growing. The lack of an existing international platform is exactly why The Refugee Consortium is needed, and exactly why it's so hard to start. Solve may be able to make this international platform a reality.  

1). Carl Williams, co-founder. 

2). Serco, who house UK asylum seekers for the UK government. Serco are our 'source' of refugees initially, as well as an employer. 

3). International law firm Linklaters who have joined as an employer.

4). Oxford University have joined as an educator.

We are not aware of any competitors.