Smoothing the Journey for Displaced Talent Candidates — Speaker Preview with Talent Beyond Boundaries’ Holly Asquith

With increased geopolitical conflicts, a growing number of people are looking to restart their lives in new countries.

Fortunately many countries offer opportunities to fast-track this process, and specialist organisations including Talent Beyond Boundaries offer invaluable assistance.

Holly Asquith, Head of UK Programmes, has been working in the refugee sector for nine years — and will be speaking at the AltoVita Smart, Safe, Sustainable Summit on June 8 where she hopes to shed light on the challenges they face.

Talent Beyond Boundaries works directly with employers that are struggling to fill labour shortages and find the best talent, and is building an ecosystem of new partners to contribute to one of society's most pressing issues. 

The refugee sector sits at the intersection of global mobility and corporate relocation, and Holly says finding the right accommodation plays a key role in easing some of the pressures on refugees. 

"We know from experience and the 65,000 registrants on our talent catalogue that refugees have the skills and experience that employers are looking for, but often lack the visibility and documents needed to overcome administrative barriers and secure roles in destinations like the UK," she says, ahead of her appearance on the "Empowering Resilience: Strategies for Support Displaced Individuals" panel.

One trend her organisation sees is that securing suitable accommodation for displaced talent candidates is often the most challenging aspect of their relocation process.

“With competitive rental markets and rising costs, displaced individuals often struggle to secure rental accommodation particularly when they lack credit history, initial capital or reference letters from previous landlords. We’ve seen that by working with the right mobility and relocation partners, some of the challenges of securing accommodation can be overcome,” she says. 

Speed is also of the essence, she adds: "By having the right mobility and integration support in place for displaced candidates from the time they’ve accepted a job offer, their ability to thrive in both their professional and personal lives once they arrive is that much greater."

For example, while refugees and displaced people in general tend to already have a high level of resilience, given the obstacles they’ve had to overcome, Holly says that despite arriving on an economic pathway, displaced talent candidates often face greater challenges during their relocation process and integration journeys due to their unique circumstances and vulnerabilities.

After her appearance on stage, she says she hopes delegates will learn something new and that she’s been able to break down any misconceptions they have about refugees — and ultimately champion Talent Without Boundaries’ cause.