Breadwinners is a social enterprise that provides paid employment, work experience, mentoring and training to refugees. With unemployment for refugees in London estimated to be around 70%, this support is truly essential.

Breadwinners delivers three employability programmes for refugees and young people seeking asylum, aged 16-24, living in London and Brighton.

How Breadwinners supports refugees

All of Breadwinners' programmes combine work, training and mentoring.

These programmes have had deep and wide-ranging impact on numerous people. To give just one example, 83 young people have completed Breadwinners' programmes, with the majority reporting increased motivation, work experience, and happiness. Over a period when many felt isolated due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Breadwinners' community activities helped those on the programmes to make friends and new connections.

The lives changed by Breadwinners

The organisation's programmes have run consistently amid the challenges of recent years - including the pandemic, during which Breadwinners launched a new programme focused on online sales and customer experience.

So far, the programmes have delivered work experience to 169 young refugees, as well as 306 training sessions and 1,400 hours of 1:1 mentoring.

Breadwinners monitor the outcome of their courses closely. So far, all of the refugees participating reported that their communication skills had improved. Moreover:

• 98% felt more prepared for work
• 96% reported improved well-being
• 93% felt more motivated
• 92% felt they were making a difference in their community

The programmes are evidently having a positive impact on the refugees.

Breadwinners also generated impressive benefits for the participants and their communities across 2021, including:

• 83 young refugees gaining jobs
• 6 months of support provided for participants
• £60,000 paid to refugees for their work/subsistence
• 37,000 baked goods sold
• 9,000 home deliveries
• 22 wholesale partnerships

Combining continuous improvement with upskilling 

In December 2021, Breadwinners conducted its annual peer-led evaluation. Participants carried out phone interviews with 48 programme graduates, asking them questions about the long-term impact of their programmes. This enabled participants to develop key IT and communication employability skills, and gave them a central role in Breadwinners' evaluation and strategy development.

It also generated unbiased critical feedback, since graduates were discussing with current programme participants, rather than the core team. Of the respondents:

• 97% said they would recommend Breadwinners
• 91% said they were happy with the support they had received
• 83% felt their experiences had taken them nearer to their dream job

Growth and expansion 

In late 2021, Breadwinners expanded their operations with a pilot in Brighton. The new programme provided paid employment for seven refugees across four market stalls. Moreover, four participants have already progressed onto long term employment or study.

Around the same time, the organisation started supplying Change Please cafes with baked goods, and its wholesale service has taken off. Breadwinners' income from wholesale now stands at £53,800, diversifying its revenue in a fluctuating economic environment.