Refugee Progression and Employment Project (REPP)

The Refugee Progression and Employment (REPP) Project is funded by the European Social Fund and co-ordinated by the Centre for Continuing Education at University of Sussex. Lancaster University is one of four partners; others include University of Leeds and Wedgwood Memorial College, Stoke-on-Trent.

All partners are conducting a case study to look at the discrimination faced by minority ethnic adults and refugees in the labour market who have higher-level qualifications gained overseas.

At Lancaster we are interested in the stories of people who were born in a range of different countries and who have moved to Lancashire for a range of different reasons. We are focusing on the Preston area and learners who have been involved with community groups linked to our African Caribbean and Asian curriculum project. We are also planning to talk to employers and training / learning providers about their equal opportunities policies and how they tackle discrimination etc.

Overall the project aims to:

• Build on previous research into discrimination faced by refugees and asylum seekers in education, training and employment
• Evaluate the effectiveness of a range of anti-discriminatory strategies through locally based case studies
• Explore the perceptions and experiences of members of the target group through life history interviews
• Inform future debates about policy and practice in this area through dissemination of the research findings.

Further information about the project and copies of the project report - Refugees, Asylum Seekers and Migrants: Steps on the Education and Employment Progression Journey (2008) can be obtained from Ann-Marie Houghton This project is supported by the Higher Education European Social Fund (HE ESF).