Barriers to Work Letters

The London Assembly Economy Committee has written to the Mayor of London with recommendations outlining how to improve barriers to work for people who have had contact with the criminal justice system, as well as for asylum seekers and refugees.

Recommendations within the letters include:

• The Mayor should work with London employers to develop training programmes that provide technical language skills to asylum seekers and refugees for specific professions, as well as the technical language skills related to recruitment and job descriptions that are essential to gaining employment.
• As part of the No Wrong Door initiaive, the Mayor should develop focal points to provide tailored advice to refugees and help them navigate the labour market. The Mayor should also publish manuals and information on the Migrant Londoners Hub for asylum seekers and refugees with information about the availability of language and skills training in London.
• The Mayor should work with MOPAC to signpost skills provision that could particularly be directed towards women in order to help them overcome the gendered disadvantages they face in prisons and upon their release.
• The Mayor should lobby the government for more funding and resources to enable adequate provision for employment and digital support for those serving sentences in prisons in London.