Growth Company wins Home Office contract for refugee employment support

Social enterprise The Growth Company has won the contract to deliver the Home Office Refugee Employability Programme in Yorkshire and the Humber.

The programme will be delivered by GC Employment and offer tailored support for people fleeing war, persecution and national disaster who face barriers to employment, helping individuals to find specialist support and sustainable work as well as providing ESOL courses.

Over the 21 months from September 23 to June 2025, the programme will support around 1,800 refugees in the region.

Michelle Leeson, managing director of GC Employment, said: “The Growth Company is an award-winning social enterprise, with a strong track record of providing employability support to a range of communities and groups across the North of England.

“The opportunity to support refugees to integrate and gain sustainable employment aligns to our core vision and builds on our award-winning United for Ukraine initiative, and we look forward to partnering with charities and other organisations to deliver this crucial service.”

Building on the success of The Growth Company’s United for Ukraine initiative, the programme will provide refugees with employability skills including CV writing, job applications, interview skills, employment-specific language courses and work experience opportunities.