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 […]
Synergy Texas is a network of adult education and literacy (AEL) providers working to address academic and employment barriers for internationally trained professionals in Texas. Brought together in 2019 through WES Global Talent Bridge’s Skilled Immigrant Integration Program (SIIP), Synergy Texas’ network includes community college educators and administrators, adult education providers, and other immigrant and […]
When WES Global Talent Bridge program manager, Mikaela Santos, visited Chemeketa Community College in November 2022, she sat down with several internationally trained immigrants and refugees who had just completed a career assistance program, Empowering Professional Immigrant Careers (EPIC), at the college’s English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) department. EPIC previously received technical assistance through the […]
In late October, a diverse group of organizations working on behalf of internationally trained immigrants and refugees gathered in Washington, D.C. at the fifth annual Skilled Immigrant Integration Program (SIIP) convening. The convening was attended by nearly 100 participants representing 33 out of 40 total SIIP communities—including SIIP alumni and members of the current 2022-2023 […]
Efforts to create a vibrant, responsive Adult Basic Education (ABE) system can advance racial equity and economic mobility both inside and outside the classroom: Over the past two decades, 78 percent of adult education students self-identified as people of color, according to the National Association of State Directors of Adult Education. In 2019, 23 percent […]
Immigrants and refugees in the United States have high levels of post-secondary education, sought-after multilingual skills, and experience in high-demand STEM sectors, including health care—yet at least two million are unemployed or underemployed. A significant barrier to accessing employment opportunities is linked to the prevalence of networking in the U.S., and the fact that immigrants […]
The 2020 census revealed a trend that city leaders in Buffalo, New York, had not seen in seven decades: growth. As of last year, the city was home to 278,349 residents, a 6.5 percent increase since 2010. The growth, the first recorded in Buffalo since the 1950 census, is the result of a dedicated effort […]
“Building Momentum for a New Decade,” the 2020 Immigrant Economic Integration Virtual Summit hosted by WES Global Talent Bridge, featured state and local practitioners, immigrant and refugee leaders, and policymakers committed to advancing the academic and economic mobility of immigrants and refugees in the United States. In light of critical shortages in regulated professions exacerbated […]
WES Global Talent Bridge’s 2020 Immigrant Economic Integration Virtual Summit (#IEISummit2020), Building Momentum for a New Decade, featured state and local practitioners, immigrant leaders, and policymakers committed to advancing the academic and economic mobility of immigrants and refugees. The four-day summit took place in conjunction with the third annual convening of the WES Global Talent […]
As 2020 drew to a close, a diverse group of service providers and partner agencies gathered virtually at the third annual Skilled Immigrant Integration Program (SIIP) convening to reflect on a historic year and pave pathways forward on behalf of internationally trained immigrant and refugee professionals. The convening was held in conjunction with the first […]
Lincoln, Nebraska is a vibrant and inclusive community, home to a demographically diverse population that is eager for greater economic opportunity. Fortunately, internationally trained immigrant and refugee professionals in the community can now look forward to a widening scope of new resources and tools to support them on their career pathways: The New Americans Task […]
Buffalo, N.Y., Salem, Ore., Atlanta, Tulsa, Okla., Cincinnati, and the states of New Jersey, Nevada, and Indiana to get customized training from WES Global Talent Bridge and our partners Eight communities around the country have been selected to receive customized technical assistance, engage in a community of practice with monthly calls, working groups and additional […]
