On Tuesday, November 16th, the IRC in Silver Spring hosted 16 local business partners, who routinely hire our refugee and asylee clients as valuable new employees. At our First Annual Employer Appreciation Reception at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Silver Spring, Così Restaurant was presented with the first ever IRC Silver Spring “Employer of the Year” award. This honor was accepted by Anthony Hakan, Regional Partner. Since the beginning of this year, Così has hired 45 of the IRC’s refugee and asylee clients in a range of positions.
Also accepting an award for Most Dedicated Business Partner was Casey Gleason of Le Pain Quotidien, which to date has hired over 35 IRC refugee and asylee clients. Gleason and Le Pain Quotidien work to train these new employees, not only in the roles for which they are hired, but also with an eye towards career and management development.
The IRC’s Silver Spring office resettles refugees and asylees who come to the United States ready and legally able to work, and represent a wide range of educational and experiential backgrounds. By providing specialized guidance and training to all recently arrived refugees and asylees in the Washington Metropolitan Area, IRC employment services staff build upon this foundation and work closely with employers to identify candidates that meet their needs. As a result local businesses build an international, culturally sensitive, diversely skilled employee base that works tirelessly to give back to both their employer and the local community.
The importance of providing a refugee with a first job cannot be overstated as most often they arrive in the US with little more than the clothes carried with them when they were forced to flee their homes. Employers such as Così and Le Pain Quotidien offer them the ability to begin rebuilding their lives and restore their independence.
To find out more about how your business or organization can provide the region’s newest Americans the opportunity to increase their level of confidence, build essential work skills and break into the US workforce, please contact WashingtonDC@theIRC.org.
To all of the local business who work with us today, we cannot thank you enough for your invaluable partnerships!
