The UK Government has announced the award of a major new contract to World Jewish Relief working in partnership with the British Council, to provide support for UK-based Ukrainians who have fled the war in Ukraine.
This ground breaking scheme, awarded by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC), will enable the charity to offer up to 10,000 Ukrainians across the UK their trailblazing intensive English language and employment support courses to help them access the jobs market and achieve their ambitions whilst here in the UK.
This joint programme is free and delivered virtually. From listening to feedback from Ukrainian guests, we designed the courses to be online and accessible so that people with young children, caring responsibilities, or shift workers, can take part from anywhere in the UK.
It comprises 10 weeks of daily English classes run by the British Council, and 12 weeks of employment support with a dedicated World Jewish Relief Employment Advisor, to assist with CV writing, job applications, interview prep, skills training and job search. This new support will make it easier for Ukrainians to live independent lives in the UK.
To deliver the programme, World Jewish Relief will scale up its existing Specialist Training and Employment Programme (STEP) which was launched in 2016 and supports 1,500 refugees in the UK every year on their journey into employment.
World Jewish Relief was recognised in 2022 with a Charity Award for its Specialist Training and Employment Programme (STEP), and the award of the contract to deliver this significant programme serves as further recognition of its unique approach and impact. It will enable the charity to reach thousands more UK-based Ukrainians with life-changing assistance. The online English language component of the programme will be delivered by the British Council.
An existing World Jewish Relief STEP client from Ukraine said of the support from their Employment Advisor, “Working with you was a transformative experience for me. The tools and strategies provided by you empowered me to take control of my life”.
The Minister for Housing and Homelessness, Felicity Buchan said:
“Ukrainian Independence Day is a time to celebrate Ukrainian culture and traditions, as well as our shared values. It is also a sombre reminder of the need to continue to support our Ukrainian friends in their fight against Putin’s barbaric invasion. We continue to stand in solidarity with Ukraine.
“These new English Language and Employment support courses add to the package of wider government support in place to help Ukrainians find work and settle into our communities while it’s not safe to return to Ukraine.”
Paul Anticoni, Chief Executive of World Jewish Relief, said:
“I am especially proud that World Jewish Relief, has been appointed to deliver this crucial programme for Ukrainians in the UK. It’s a ringing endorsement of the unique talent and expertise we have within the team at World Jewish Relief as well as the close working relationships we have built with our partners on the ground in Ukraine over the last 30 years. This appointment would also not have been possible without the unfailing support of Ukrainians in their time of need by the wider UK Jewish Community.”
Chief Executive of the British Council, Scott McDonald, said:
“We are delighted to be partnering with World Jewish Relief to deliver this critical programme.
For many Ukrainians, escaping war and travelling to the UK will only be the first step on a long road to a new life. At the British Council, we know that learning English unlocks life changing opportunities, both in the UK and around the globe.
We look forward to combining our considerable expertise in delivering world-class online English language learning with the excellent specialist training and employment support provided by World Jewish Relief to benefit Ukrainian people in the UK.”
World Jewish Relief has been helping to save and support refugees for 90 years, having rescued 65,000 Jewish refugees from persecution in Nazi Europe, and we are unrelenting in our commitment to save and transform lives today.
World Jewish Relief is inviting Ukrainians who are over 18 in the UK to join the programme by registering today at https://www.worldjewishrelief.org/stepukraine/ or calling our freephone on 0800 319 6089 (between 9am-5pm Monday to Thursday, and 9am-2pm on Fridays).
