- Date 7 Oct 2020
Leading business and financial adviser Grant Thornton UK LLP has demonstrated its commitment to supporting refugees in finding sustainable employment and successfully integrating into life in the UK as the world emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic, by joining the Tent Partnership for Refugees.
Grant Thornton joins over 25 other major businesses including Virgin Management, Bloomberg, BNP Paribas, and Woolworths Group, in committing to including refugees. Founded by Hamdi Ulukaya, the CEO of Chobani - the number one US Greek yoghurt company - Tent is a network of over 120 major businesses committed to improving the livelihoods of refugees around the world by integrating them in their core business operations.
Grant Thornton is committed to clearly highlighting the opportunities, rather than the challenges, for refugees. The firm was the first corporate partner to co-host an employability workshop with refugee support charity, Breaking Barriers, which focused on confidence building, skills development, and provided advice on working culture in the UK. The firm also provided the charity’s first full-time refugee placement in its Talent Solutions team, which gave the candidate enough confidence to find a permanent role in the education sector. More recently, Grant Thornton became Breaking Barriers’ first corporate partner to host a virtual employability workshop during the pandemic. The firm also welcomed its first employee hire following successful completion of a refugee work placement through Breaking Barriers.
The firm also works with Business in the Community to provide one-to-one mentoring and events which offer insight into finding work within the accountancy sector. Through these efforts, since 2018, the firm has supported more than 100 refugees, helping them prepare for employment, and has been named a Responsible Business Champion.