
An award-winning partnership
We are incredibly proud that our collaboration with Barclays Lifeskills, LinkedIn and Microsoft was named Employer Partnership of the Year at the ERSA awards.
For ten years, Breaking Barriers has been on a mission to support refugees into meaningful employment. Helping them to build new lives, step by step.
We’ve long believed in the power of responsible business to change society for the better through innovative partnerships. So, we are incredibly proud that one of our sector-leading collaborations was named Employer Partnership of the Year.
The Unlocking Refugee Talent programme, delivered with support from Barclays Lifeskills, LinkedIn and Microsoft, was recently recognised at the Employer Related Services Association (ERSA) Employability Awards.
Drawing on resources from all four organisations, the programme supported hundreds of refugees living in London, Manchester, Birmingham, Liverpool and Glasgow, to become job-ready and gain the invaluable digital and soft skills needed for today’s economy.
Breaking Barriers CEO, Ciara Devlin, said: “We are incredibly fortunate to have benefitted from the expertise and collaboration of Barclays Lifeskills, LinkedIn and Microsoft. Together with Breaking Barriers, their efforts have helped hundreds of refugees gain essential employability skills, which will support them in their job search.
“The recognition by ERSA is a testament to the efforts of the teams involved in Unlocking Refugee Talent and our united goal in building inclusive and equitable workplaces where refugees are able to gain meaningful employment, enabling them to rebuild their lives and work towards their long-term goals.”
Key programme highlights for Breaking Barriers’ clients included:
- Three bespoke training pathways with Microsoft in Software Development, Administration Essentials and Generative AI. Twenty-one clients received a Microsoft Certification and are now looking for their next steps in their employment journeys.
- More than 90 clients participated in job-readiness activities including two employability workshops with volunteers from Microsoft, LinkedIn and Barclays.
- Sixty-one clients attended LinkedIn Coaches sessions to support their employment journeys.
LinkedIn and Microsoft have been instrumental in the development of our Business Behind Refugees (BBR) movement, participating in our annual showcase and sharing their knowledge and skills in areas such as volunteering, and featuring in our 2023 BBR video to engage and inspire businesses to get involved.
They also participated in our annual refugee webinar in June 2024, joining a panel of speakers alongside representatives from our Lived Experience Panel and CEO Ciara Devlin.
ERSA is the representative body for the employment related services sector. It exists to help member organisations realise their shared goal of helping people achieve sustainable work.
Read a deep-dive into Microsoft’s involvement.