International Institute Awarded Grant to Establish St. Louis Refugee Career Pathways Program

ST. LOUIS (Oct. 15, 2018)-The International Institute of St. Louis, the St. Louis region's Welcoming Center for New Americans, has been awarded a grant for the establishment of the St. Louis Refugee Career Pathways program. 

This grant -- $250,000 per year for three years -- is awarded by the federal Administration of Children and Families Office of Refugee Resettlement. The grant will allow the International Institute to provide individualized career path case management, industry-specific language training, access to apprenticeship programs, mentorship networks and more support to refugees, asylees, as well as special immigrant visa holders who have been in the country five years or less.

The program will also allow for the establishment of a local cohort of multi-sector stakeholders to tackle the issue of immigrant "brain waste" in the bi-state St. Louis region.

"Every year, the St. Louis region misses out on $57 million in lost earnings due to brain waste from immigrants working in low-skilled jobs despite being highly skilled," said International Institute of St. Louis Vice President of Programs, Blake Hamilton. "Addressing brain waste in our region will assist not only skilled-immigrants themselves and act as a talent attraction tool, but will also assist our region's employers who are struggling to access the skilled talent they need to grow their businesses in our region."

As part of the Institute's efforts to help skilled immigrants on their career paths, the International Institute of St. Louis, the Institute's Center for Career Advancement, the St. Louis Community College Workforce Solutions Group, and the St. Louis Mosaic Project will present Decoding the Potential this Friday morning, Oct. 19, from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., at the Institute, 3401 Arsenal St.

Speakers from the National Skills Coalition, the Community College Consortium for Immigrant Education, the World Education Service, along with local partners, will examine national best practices for connecting skilled immigrants to employment and training opportunities to help meet regional workforce needs.

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About International Institute of St. Louis

The International Institute is the St. Louis Region's Welcoming Center for New Americans. For nearly 100 years, the International Institute has provided essential community integration services to each new wave of immigrants to St. Louis. Annually, more than 7,000 immigrants and refugees learn English, find jobs, become resettled and start businesses with our help. We build a strong, more global St. Louis by promoting the value of immigrants and multicultural inclusion. Our annual Festival of Nations attracts more than 100,000 visitors. Learn more about us at www.iistl.org.