Randstad UK & Ireland announced that it has joined Tent UK, a new coalition of over 60 major companies that is committed to helping refugees secure employment in the UK.

Randstad has been a longstanding member of the Tent Partnership for Refugees, a global network of companies committed to helping refugees access labour markets.

By joining Tent UK as a founding member, Randstad UK&I says it wants to “double down” on its refugee hiring programme in the UK.

Victoria Short said, the CEO of Randstad UK & Ireland said in a press release, “Since the spring of 2022, Randstad has been supporting those affected by the war in Ukraine.  Globally, we made a €250,000 contribution to UNICEF and became a member of the global Tent Partnership for Refugees with the aim to help them integrate economically into their new host countries.”

“Internationally, over the last decade, Randstad has supported in the region of 100,000 migrants and refugees through our programmes, either training them or helping them find work,” Short said. “By joining Tent UK, we want to build on that success and double down on our refugee hiring programme in the UK.  This is the best sort of corporate social responsibility initiative, a meaningful measure that can really support wider societal goals.”

Tent UK will offer participating companies a host of services free of charge including: resources and trainings for HR teams; the sharing of best practices and ideas distilled from Tent’s global network of over 400 major companies across a dozen countries who are hiring and integrating refugees into their workforces, as well as tailored programmes and insights to the UK market context. It will also offer 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.

“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,” said Gideon Maltz, CEO of Tent. “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.”

Last month, Adecco, part of the Adecco Group, announced it pledged to find jobs for 85,000 refugees globally, and train or upskill 17,000 by the end of 2027. The commitment follows Adecco’s first pledge at Tent’s European Business Summit in June 2023.