London based start up to employ 500 Afghan refugees
Cera, a London based start up, has announced an initiative to recruit, train and employ 500 Afghan refugees.
The company, which provides healthcare visits in homes across the UK, will be working with local councils and the government to train arrivals from Afghanistan as professional carers.
The scheme is part of the government’s resettlement programme which aims to relocate 5,000 Afghans in its first year and will be extended to 20,000 refugees over the next five years.
Cera, which launched in 2016 and employs more than 6,000 UK staff, has developed a fast-track recruitment programme which can train and certify new carers in a matter of weeks.
Ben Maruthappu, the CEO and co-founder of Cera, commented on the initiative saying “We understand that for many of those displaced by conflict, finding employment is yet another significant obstacle to overcome in starting their new life.
“Over the next five years, our goal is to support them in this journey by offering a pathway into not only gainful employment, but an enormously rewarding career in one of the UK’s most important sectors,” Maruthappu added.
The news comes as thousands of Afghanistan civilians, interpreters and humanitarian workers try to flee the country after the Taliban seized control two weeks ago.
Yesterday, defence secretary Ben Wallace said there were few spaces left on British rescue flights which have so far evacuated 11,000 people from the country. He urged people to make their way to the border saying that airports will likely become a high priority target for the Taliban.
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