Bridging Language and Work: Solutions to Invest in Immigrant and Refugee Talent

Finding, retaining, and developing talent is a top priority for business leaders today. Refugees represent an incredible pool of talent that can fill worker shortages and enhance diversity. Yet, many employers overlook refugee candidates due to perceptions that workers cannot succeed in a role if they have limited proficiency in the local language. Bridging Language and Work: Solutions to Invest in Immigrant and Refugee Talent outlines how companies can implement solutions to overcome language barriers to help local language learners – including refugees – get into jobs faster as they work towards proficiency. The guide provides key information for employers, including:

• A framework for companies on the ways in which they can invest in local language learners beyond expanding access to language training
• Specific solutions that can be implemented across the talent management cycle to help local language learners succeed
• The business benefits of hiring refugees and other local language learners
• A list of resources that companies can tap into to support local language learners

This guide is a collaboration between the Tent Partnership for Refugees and JFF (Jobs for the Future), a national nonprofit that drives transformation in the U.S. workforce and education systems. This guide was developed as part of JFF’s Corporate Action Platform, which helps uncover and share talent solutions that enable companies to address both business and social needs.