Many refugees in the Netherlands are eager to start working, yet find it difficult to find a paid job. This has various reasons. Diplomas do not match the Dutch labour market, language is often an issue and work experience or competencies are not always valued correctly. Additionally, prejudices are often in play. But perhaps most importantly: if you are new in The Netherlands, you often have a small network.

That is a pity, we believe at Refugee Talent Hub. After all, work is about more than just making money. Having a job also means structure and social contacts - and it gives you the feeling of being needed and belonging. Moreover, using your talent, knowledge and craftsmanship is in the interest of yourself, the employer and society. In other words, for the sake of all of us.

That is why Refugee Talent Hub - an employer initiative - brings you together with employers. Because a job opportunity starts with a meeting.

Refugee Talent Hub organises company visits, trainings, courses, work experience programmes and other work-related activities. All to increase your chance to find a paid job.

You can find the complete range of our Dutch and English-speaking events here. Our activities are informal, practical and take place in the workplace. We work closely with employers who are looking for interesting candidates and with civil society organisations such as the Council for Refugees and the Foundation for Refugee Students UAF. You can find our activities throughout the Netherlands, from Amsterdam to Arnhem.

Read more below and come and join us!

What we offer:

• Workshops

During our workshops, you work together with an employer and other refugees on your professional skills. Options include taking a LinkedIn workshop, job application training or building a website. This is an accessible way for employers to get to know you and to see whether you might fit with the organisation.

• Meet-and-Greets

This is all about a personal meeting with one or more employers. We meet with a small group (around five to ten people) or organize a large event (with about a hundred people). Our meet-and-greets are informal and practical: they are all about doing something together. So we break a business case with financial service providers, we bake bread with bakers and we drill and tinker with a technical installation company.

• Training

In a crash course of several weeks or months, you will learn useful skills such as programming or dealing with popular control programmes. These "classes" increase your job prospects and help participating employers to recruit interesting candidates.

• Internal training programmes

During this programme you receive short, internal training from an employer that suits you well. After successfully completing this training, you immediately start working for the employer (a paid job).

• Mentor programmes

If you participate in a mentor programme, it means that we connect you with a mentor, an employee of one of our partner organizations. During the period of your mentor programme, you work together towards a concrete, work-related goal and you exchange knowledge, network and experiences.

Are you a refugee and do you want to increase your chances of finding a job? Register quickly for one of our activities or sign up for our newsletter. That way you stay informed about our activities and the activities of our social partners. This way, we can also reach you when employers are looking for candidates.

You can also find our activities on Instagram, LinkedIn and Facebook.

Do you have any questions? Do not hesitate and contact us directly contact.

PS in preparation for your meeting with employers, it is useful to:

• Have your CV ready;
• Have your diploma evaluated. Credential evaluation makes it easy for employers to gain insight into your education. More information can be found here;
• Work on your language. Need tips? You can find it here.

We are Refugee Talent Hub, an employer initiative that brings refugees and employers together with paid jobs as the goal.

Many refugees in the Netherlands are eager to find work. However, not everyone is able to find a job. When you are new, you often have a small network and it is difficult to meet prospective employers. On the other side, many employers would like to use the talent and craftsmanship of refugees, but are unable to find them. A joint network is missing.

That is why Refugee Talent Hub was founded in 2016. We bring affiliated employers into contact with job-seeking refugees through small-scale, customized meetings. Because a job opportunity starts with a meeting.

This is in the interest of everyone - the refugee, the employer and society. Having a job contributes greatly to rapid integration and employers with a diverse workforce are more successful. In addition, a job is about more than just making money. For refugees, having a job also means structure, social contacts and gives a sense of being needed and of belonging.

At Refugee Talent Hub we work with customized meetings that foster personal contact, which helps to get to know each other - and is a necessary step towards a fruitful collaboration. Our meetings consist of company visits, work experience programs and other work-related activities. All of our events happen in the workplace and are small-scale, practical and efficient. You can find the complete range of our Dutch and English-speaking events here.

Our way of working is based on our Hub concept. We connect knowledge, experience and contacts of a large network of employers, refugees and social organisations. We do this, among other things, by stimulating the exchange of knowledge between employers and by working closely with civil society organizations such as VluchtelingenwerkNederland, the New Dutch Connections, NewBees and UAF, the foundation for refugee students.

The idea of our Hub descends from consultancy firm Accenture. The company presented the idea at the annual World Economic Forum in 2016, after which Refugee Talent Hub was launched the same year. The organisation has now grown into an independent foundation with a large network of committed employers and refugee talents. As co-founder and corporate partner, Accenture is still closely involved in the activities of Refugee Talent Hub.