Thames becomes first UK utility to join refugee employment scheme

Thames Water has become the first utility company to sign up to a commitment to create employment opportunities for refugees in its region.

The company joined the Tent UK partnership, which is a coalition of 70 large organisation wanting to help refugees become job ready and secure employment in the UK.

Under the pledge, Thames will hire refugees into roles across its business, which the business said is in line with its plans to build a pipeline of skills from local communities and represent the communities it serves.

As well as supporting refugees to take up roles across London, Thames Valley and the Home Counties, the company provide free pre-employment training programmes.

Tent said the UK has welcomed more than 500,000 refugees but many have been unable to find formal employment. While they have the legal right to work, refugees are over 20% less likely to be employed than British nationals, with this gap widening to 30% for refugee women, the organisation said.

“We are committed to working with Tent UK in helping refugees find and establish the right job for them, as they build a new life for them and their families,” said Karima Khandker, director of resourcing, skills and equity, diversity & inclusion at Thames.

“This is a noteworthy opportunity to support both refugees into work, and our plans to build a pipeline of skills from our communities to ensure we have a diverse and inclusive workforce that represents the customers we serve.”

While there are no formal quotas or target numbers set for the programme, the company said it will build upon its existing skills strategy, which has placed 260 candidates from community pathways since 2021.

The company is actively engaging with specialist refugee referral partners and local refugee charities to build a pipeline of talent matched to job opportunities. It will run free employability programmes and has designed a work insights programme for refugees, which incorporates additional English as a second language (ESOL) training.

“At a moment when UK employers face significant labour shortages, yet refugees across the country struggle to find decent employment, we see an extraordinary opportunity for our work,” Tent chief executive Gideon Maltz said.

“The coalition of companies that has come together to launch Tent UK understands that we need to act at scale to help hundreds of thousands of refugees in the UK secure jobs, rebuild their lives, and integrate into their new communities. Tent is uniquely placed and ready to help companies develop ambitious programmes to include refugees.”

Tent UK offers participating companies resources and trainings for HR teams; the sharing of best practices from Tent’s global network; tailored programmes and insights to the UK market context; regular convenings and workshops with other Tent UK member companies for peer-to-peer learning; and introductions to best-in-class partners across the UK that can source refugee talent based on the type of roles, the location, and their past performance.