In case you missed it, last month the IRC in Atlanta’s Career Development program was highlighted by Global Atlanta for our unique Refugee Internship initiative!
READ: Refugee Internship Program Brings Skilled Workers to Local Companies
At the beginning of 2020, dedicated IRC employer partner and global logistics firm, Kuehne and Nagel (K+N), faced a shortage of usual international intern candidates due to the COVID-19 pandemic. K+N Southeast Regional VP Juergen Gentzke, reached out to the IRC’s Career Development Coordinator, Lauren Bowden, to see if she had clients—resettled refugees, asylees or Special Immigrant Visa recipients—who might be a good fit for these paid, long-term internship roles. The IRC’s Refugee Internship initiative serves not only traditional intern candidates, like young college students, but also adults who are looking to change careers, learn new skills, or rebuild professional networks lost during resettlement. Since that initial conversation, K+N have hired two interns and two staff members through the IRC. The internship program at K+N offers IRC clients $13.50 an hour for 12- to 18-month contracts, and consideration for more permanent roles upon completion of the contract.
As reported by Global Atlanta, Mr. Gentzke shared, “This [refugee internship] program is really cool. We have 400 people here at our facilities at the airport, and there are 43 nationalities. I think the refugees appreciate our international environment and not being the only one from Pakistan or Lithuania or another country,” Mr. Gentze told Global Atlanta. “Having such a diverse team works extremely well in our environment. The world is very small.”
As reported by Global Atlanta, the IRC’s Lauren Bowden shared, “We are not asking for guaranteed placement; we just want to be able to make introductions [between refugees and companies]. We hope we are training people for the needs of Atlanta employers.”
The IRC in Atlanta is incredibly grateful to Global Atlanta for highlighting this initiative. Already in response to this article, Lauren has connected with another internship partner—the Georgia Global Health Alliance—who want to offer full-time hours and a six-month contract for IRC interns, with consideration for hire and referral to an employer partner upon completion.
Are you an employer interested in the IRC’s Refugee Internship program? Please contact the IRC in Atlanta’s Career Development Coordinator, Lauren Bowden, at Lauren.Bowden [at] Rescue.org or 678-636-8913, for more information!
To learn more about the work of the IRC in Atlanta and for information on how you can get involved with the IRC as a donor or volunteer, please contact Development Manager, Kalie Lasiter, at Kalie.Lasiter [at] Rescue.org or 678-636-8941.
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