Over 50 people attended a special West Lothian jobs fair aimed at helping Ukrainian refugees find work.
West Lothian Council’s ‘access2employment’ service organised the event with support from West Lothian College, who hosted it on their campus in Livingston.
Both West Lothian Council and West Lothian College are working together to create a programme of support which will be available for all Ukrainian refugees living in West Lothian as part of the Scottish Government’s super sponsor scheme.
A meeting of the support network gathered by West Lothian Voluntary Sector Gateway heard that more than 70 Ukrainians have been successfully settled in the county under the Homes for Ukraine Scheme.
Homes for Ukraine has seen 51 families provide homes to 74 refugees in West Lothian, with another 24 set to arrive once their visas have been settled.
The jobs fair aimed to support Ukrainians living in West Lothian, allowing them the opportunity to meet with local employers who are recruiting across the county.
It was also open to locals as well as the wider Ukrainian community.
A total of 10 employers from a range of sectors attended the event and discussed the open roles and requirements with the jobseekers.
Also in attendance was West Lothian Council’s Advice Shop, Access2employment services, West Lothian College and the charity Smart Works, who offer support to help women get back into employment.
A jobs table was set up where current vacancies were printed off for employers who could not be present with council staff on hand with laptops to aid with translation and applying for jobs.
Executive councillor for economy, community empowerment and wealth building, Kirsteen Sullivan, said: “Thanks to everyone who made the jobs fair to support West Lothian’s Ukrainian community such a big success.
“It was fantastic to see so many people trying to support our growing Ukrainian community to get into employment.
“A number of those attending now have interviews for jobs, with others registering for support to find work, which we hope will lead to positive outcomes.”
West Lothian College also hosts English classes for Ukrainians arriving in Scotland and are currently developing a new programme of support for local refugees with West Lothian Council.
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