One of Britain’s largest home care providers, Cera, on Thursday pledged to train and employ 500 refugees from Afghanistan over the next five years. The company has announced that it will work with more than 160 local authorities as well as with the government to identify and train newcomers in trades in this sector, which suffers from a significant labor shortage.
“Play even a small role”
Finding a job is “another big hurdle to overcome” for the many people who are starting new lives after fleeing their country, said Cera co-founder and CEO Ben Maruthappu. “Over the next five years our aim is to support them on this journey by providing them with a path not only to gainful employment, but also a hugely rewarding career in one of the most important sectors in the UK”, he added. Ben Maruthappu said he hoped to be able “to play even a small role in helping those arriving from Afghanistan”.
According to figures from the Home Office released Wednesday, more than 5,500 Afghans have been evacuated from their country via a device targeting people employed by the United Kingdom in Afghanistan and their families, who fear for their safety since the return to power of the Taliban. In addition to this device, the British government has announced its intention to welcome 20,000 Afghan refugees “threatened by the current crisis” over the next few years, in particular women, girls and religious minorities.