The Refugee Council attended the 2006 Lord Mayor’s Dragon Awards last night to celebrate the inclusion of KPMG LLP (UK) in the short list for the Community & Social Inclusion award. The award is for companies contributing to enhanced quality of life for socially-excluded groups (including refugees and asylum seekers).
The Refugee Council have worked with KPMG LLP (UK) since 2005, using the skills and experience of their staff to support refugees seeking employment, a project that came about at the suggestion of a KPMG employee. Refugee clients have a one-to-one session with a trained KPMG volunteer at KPMG’s Canary Wharf offices, and can choose whether to get advice on CVs, application forms or interview practice. This year, 35 individual sessions were arranged and the client and volunteer evaluations were universally positive.
The Lord Mayor’s Dragon Awards celebrate the contribution made by London companies towards the social and economic regeneration of their local communities. Now in their 19th year, the awards have seen the quality of submissions rise and rise as community involvement becomes an ever-more important part of business culture in the UK.
Although KPMG LLP (UK) didn't win Community & Social Inclusion award last night, their outstanding commitment to corporate social responsibility has been recognised by a separate award.
Refugee Council Volunteer Development Manager, Chris Badman said:
“We are very proud that a programme that we are involved in has been nominated for this prestigious award. The sessions have been of great benefit to the clients who have taken part, improving their knowledge and confidence and providing useful and relevant employment tips.
Working with KPMG has been very rewarding for everyone involved and we have been very impressed that so many KPMG staff want to volunteer as part of the programme. We hope that we will expand the programme both in London and in our other offices, so that even more refugees can get additional support as they strive to get back into challenging and rewarding employment.”
