Skilled immigrants: Challenges, barriers, and opportunities
Prepared for African Bridge Network and The Boston Foundation
Today, the Boston Foundation hosted an event featuring the release of new report from the EPPR group, Hiring Skilled Immigrants: Recommendations for Massachusetts. It examines the many ways employers can engage with skilled immigrants and reviews the African Bridge Network’s proposed verification process, which seeks to mitigate the hiring of skilled immigrants in Massachusetts.
The forum convened key stakeholders in skilled immigrant integration and provided an evaluation of the field, while exploring opportunities to increase the visibility of—and investments in—this issue. The study's findings were reviwed and provided a comprehensive status report on local initiatives that support the career advancement of skilled immigrants.
“The skilled immigrant population in Massachusetts is an underutilized workforce, due in large part to a variety of structural and cultural barriers,” said Research Manager Ember Sky Kane-Lee, who presented today. "By implementing initiatives that demystify the process of hiring this population to employers, these barriers to hiring skilled immigrants can be decreased, benefiting both employers and the state economy.”
“This study lays the foundation for us to create a streamlined career preparation process will significantly enhance the integration skilled immigrants into the workforce,” said Emmanuel Owusu, executive director of African Bridge Network. “For the skilled immigrants the verification process will offer a comprehensive support, guiding them into mid-skilled occupations that make full use of their international credentials. Employers will benefit from a higher level of certainty about the competencies of skilled immigrants during the hiring process. Additionally, for immigrant-serving organizations, this initiative will act as a vital bridge program, facilitating the professional success of their skilled immigrant clients.”
June 12, 2024
