Refugee Career Pathways

• Assessment, enrollment, and goal-setting.
• Industry-specific assessments to explore career-relevant strengths and weaknesses.
• Development of short, mid-range, and long-term professional goals. Explore the skills and competencies you possess and those needed to acquire through training to be successfully placed in your field.
• Create an Action Plan to highlight specific steps to take to realize each goal.

• Develop pre-employment skills: orientation and introduction to career development in the US; resume-building; financial literacy; job search and professional networking; professional writing and cover letters, and interview preparation.
• Career-readiness training is customized per career sector and regularly updated based on feedback from employers and training providers and contains pre and post-tests to ensure knowledge acquisition.
• Employment skills courses: You will engage with staff for support with job search, resume/cover letter writing, and interview preparation.
• Job skills training, and job placement or job training in-language for limited-English community members.

• Peer mentors will help you navigate the Los Rios community colleges.
• Peer mentors will help with application to Los Rios, financial aid, scheduling a counseling appointment, registering for classes.
• Access to campus resources, such as mental health, CalWORKs, EOPS, food pantry, and others.

• Resettlement agencies are connected with more than 30 local employers, many of whom have hired refugees for professional positions in healthcare, construction, engineering, finance, and manufacturing.
• Career development clients increase wages with a 100% average increase of income and bringing clients far above the standard for a living wage.
• You will receive targeted career development services that address individual job goals, levels of experience and readiness for employment. Check-ins between you and the Career Development Specialist or Job Developer will take place at least weekly and increase in frequency during career readiness and job search.
• Career coaching including soft skill development, training enrollment and follow-ups, and career placement assistance.
• Career development staff use labor market information, industry-specific trends, and guidance from employer partners to inform participants on career options leading to a high yield career placement in their field of study.
• You will be connected to experiential learning opportunities (internship, work experience, volunteer or pre-apprenticeship) roles in your field of study or training.

Vocational English-as-a-Second Language (ESL) classes, citizenship classes, and financial literacy workshops in-language for limited-English community members.

• Intensive financial education workshops delivered by Opening Doors staff to inform you about the loans process and eligibility requirements.
• You can receive credit-counseling, affordable credit-building and business loans.
• Financial literacy workshops in-language for limited-English community members.

• Explore our microlending program. If eligible, you will receive financial education and will be guided through the loan application process.
• Receive support with applying for business loans.

Community services and resources range from naturalization services such as application assistance and test preparation.

Reach out to our partnering organizations for other assistance and support.