Hundreds of refugees fleeing Afghanistan to be trained as care workers

British home care provider Cera will train 500 escaping Afghan refugees as care workers, in the wake of the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan.

As the US military-led evacuations battled to get people out of Afghanistan before President Biden’s 31 August deadline, Cera's chief executive promised to work with British councils and the government to give hundreds of Afghans a care job in the UK.

Cera chief: 'Reach out to those affected'

Ben Maruthappu, Cera co-founder and chief executive of the UK-wide home care firm, said getting a job is another major barrier that displaced Afghan refugees must overcome.

Ben Maruthappu said: “Over the next five years, our goal is to support them in this journey by offering a pathway into not only gainful employment, but an enormously rewarding career in one of the UK’s most important sectors.”

As thousands of Afghan nationals risked their lives, running the gauntlet of Taliban checkpoints in their struggle to get into Kabul's airport before the 31 August evacuation deadline, Cera's chief executive said he will employ Afghan refugees, as part of a five-year resettlement plan.

He intends to help the refugees stand on their own feet with a job opportunity, while helping a dedicated but desperate care sector fill a vast number of staff vacancies that are pushing it to crisis point.

112,000 care job vacancies

Serious workforce issues in the care sector have been highlighted by Skills for Care which states around 112,000 job vacancies exist at any one time.

Home care can includes assistance getting people needing care to get out of bed, washed and dressed, fed as wells as assistance with other daily tasks.

With the help of smart technology, Cera carries out tens of thousands of care visits to people’s homes every day. It tracks and monitor the health of people receiving care at home, enabling their families and professionals to see changes in their health and well-being and avoid unnecessary hospital visits.

Dr Maruthappu added: “We’ll be working with those councils we are already in partnership with, as well as the government more broadly, to reach out to those affected and who are eligible for these roles.

“If we can play even a small role in helping those arriving from Afghanistan, that’s an opportunity we’re keen to grasp with both hands.”

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