WES Blog

Said Hassan founded Community Services Agency (COMSA) in 2017 to meet the unique needs of refugees and immigrants arriving in Green Bay, Wisconsin, where he had settled himself a year earlier.  “Our goal is to build a resourceful community that contributes to the well-being of all residents, to recognize that newly resettled refugees face trauma […]

Internationally trained professionals (ITPs) – a population that has long been served by adult education programs – bring many assets that range from credentials earned in other countries to fluency and literacy in multiple languages, professional work experience, and experience with building social capital. How can adult education programs best support and leverage these unique […]

In June, Toronto Community Benefits Network (TCBN) kicked off its 2023 Community Benefits Ambassadors program. TCBN, a grantee partner of the WES Mariam Assefa Fund, works to ensure that Toronto’s construction projects provide jobs to immigrants, refugees, women, and other groups underrepresented in the sector. The Ambassadors are emerging leaders in the construction industry. This […]

Communities across the United States are facing severe health workforce shortages. The American Hospital Association (AHA) predicts a “shortage of up to 3.2 million health care workers by 2026.” While the shortages will be felt across all health-related occupations, the AHA projects a shortfall of up to 124,000 physicians by 2033, and the health care […]

Mariam, originally from the Republic of Guinea in West Africa, had a dream of working as a fashion designer. After moving to Atlanta with her husband in 2016, she graduated from MyCity ATL, a program that empowers immigrants and refugees through engagement sessions with city agencies. In 2019, Mariam met Valerie Mills, the senior manager […]

The Drivers Cooperative, a grantee partner of the WES Mariam Assefa Fund, is a New York City-based organization of over 9,000 drivers who came together during the pandemic in pursuit of fundamental change in the rideshare vehicle industry.   A driver-owned alternative to Uber and Lyft, the co-op has been able to create a guaranteed $30 […]

On World Refugee Day, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) calls on us to “champion [the right of refugees] to seek safety, build support for their economic and social inclusion, and advocate for solutions to their plight.”   We recently sat down with Chris Khoury and Cheri Chan from Voice of Refugees, a referral […]

Last month, members of the Skilled Immigrant Integration Program (SIIP) network participated on a panel that explored the importance of job quality in building a more equitable economy that is inclusive of immigrant and refugee workers. Led by Brooke Valle, a technical assistance provider for SIIP’s Workforce Board Partnerships cohort, the panel included Erica Bouris, […]

“Beginnings have a perplexing beauty.” This is how Eid Mohammad Sultanzoy, a 43-year-old Afghan refugee, describes his experience of arriving in Canada in the summer of 2021. He and his family were forced to flee Afghanistan after the Taliban entered the capital city of Kabul, took control of the country, and imposed severe restrictions on […]

In 2022, WES Global Talent Bridge set out to lead a new mentoring initiative. Using a train-the-trainer model, the Global Talent Leadership Network (GTLN), an initiative of WES Global Talent Bridge, and JVS Toronto provided technical assistance over ten months to three organizations. The initiative supported two program rounds of industry-specific group mentoring. One Immigrant’s […]

Non-profit organizations in Canada play a crucial role in creating communities and economies that are inclusive of immigrants and refugees. However, a lack of flexible, stable, long-term funding often holds non-profits back from being innovative and providing the level of support that communities need. The available funding, in most cases from the government, is often […]

  The World Education Services (WES) Mariam Assefa Fund today announced a $500,000 commitment to Mission Driven Finance (MDF) Capital Partners, a new vehicle to fuel inclusive economic development by equipping businesses and projects doing good with the right capital in the right size at the right time.  Mission Driven Finance, co-founded by Lauren Grattan and […]

Recent changes in the F-1 visa application process could benefit those pursuing higher education and work experience in the United States. Read on to learn more about the F-1 visa updates and how they could benefit you as an international student.  What are the F-1 visa updates?  In this blog post, we will discuss three […]

Now that you have learned how to secure your visa and funding for school and establish U.S. credit history, let’s discuss acquiring the essentials you will need for your life in the United States, including a mobile phone, bank account, housing, transportation, and a social network.   Stay Connected: Phone Plans  Stay connected with friends and […]

The end of your college or university education is a good time to start planning your next steps. Graduating from college or university is an exciting achievement. However, it is not uncommon to feel overwhelmed when you begin preparing for your career after graduation. With the right preparation and resources, international students can increase their […]

Many newcomers to New York City face a significant challenge: navigating local programs and services designed to help them rebuild their lives and achieve greater financial security. In this context, opportunities to form in-person connections are invaluable. That’s why WES Global Talent Bridge, in partnership with more than 15 national and local immigrant- and refugee-serving […]

With an increasing number of immigrants arriving in Canada, there is a need for accessible tools that can assist newcomers as they navigate the Canadian job market. To address this need, PeaceGeeks, a Vancouver-based non-profit that creates digital tools to support displaced people, and Immigrant Networks, an on-demand peer-matching platform, are joining forces to launch […]

In 2015, Nabaa Alobaidi resettled in Portland, Maine, having fled her home in Iraq as a refugee. With a master’s degree and experience practicing interior design and teaching at the university level, she hoped to continue her craft and her love of teaching. At a time when schools across the country are facing chronic teacher […]

Internships are one of the best ways international students can acquire work experience. If you are currently living in the United States or Canada and have completed at least one year of your university education, now may be the right time to begin developing your professional skill set and drafting your résumé. However, you might […]

The World Health Organization estimates that by 2030 there will be a shortage of 10 million health care workers worldwide. In Canada, the number of health care workers has already declined due to burnout and retirement. In 2022, Statistics Canada noted that there were nearly 140,000 job vacancies in the sector.  Whether you already live […]