LONDON โ The U.K. government has awarded a significant contract to World Jewish Relief, working in partnership with the British Council, to deliver the Specialist Training and Employment Programme, known as STEP, to Ukrainians and Hong Kong BN(O) visa holders resettled in England. The scaled-up programme will deliver tailored one-to-one employment support and intensive online English classes to up to 4,000 participants over the next year.
STEP combines personalized employment advising with high-quality English lessons delivered by British Council teachers. Participants receive help with CVs, cover letters, job applications, and interview preparation alongside language tuition tailored to their level. The programme is free for eligible beneficiaries and is designed to accelerate economic integration.
The expanded contract builds on the success of earlier iterations of the programme. STEP Ukraine and the pilot STEP Ahead initiative reached thousands of displaced people and refugees, with official evaluations and charity reporting pointing to strong outcomes. A government evaluation of the STEP Ahead pilot and programme reporting indicates substantial improvements in English skills and employment prospects for participants. One survey of STEP Ukraine participants found roughly 65 percent were in work after completing the programme.
World Jewish Relief, a U.K.-based humanitarian charity with a near-century history of refugee assistance, said the new award will leverage its established delivery model and networks. The charity has highlighted individual success stories to illustrate impact, including Ukrainian beneficiaries who have rebuilt professional lives in the U.K. after fleeing conflict.
Paul Anticoni, chief executive of World Jewish Relief, has frequently emphasised the transformative effect of employment on refugeesโ lives, noting that tailored training and rapid access to jobs underpin integration and long-term stability. The charity says it will apply lessons learned from earlier cohorts to ensure rapid scaling while maintaining quality outcomes.
The British Council will supply expert online English teaching and pedagogy. The organisationโs experience in large-scale language delivery is meant to ensure lessons meet professional standards and are accessible across the country. British Council representatives described the partnership as combining World Jewish Reliefโs refugee expertise with the councilโs teaching capacity to create an effective programme.
Independent evaluations and academic work have underlined both the potential and challenges of such programmes. RAND Europe and other evaluators have documented STEPโs model and recommended careful monitoring of employment outcomes using administrative data to ensure value for money and longer-term labour market attachment. Delivery at scale will require continued coordination with local employers, rapid recognition of foreign qualifications, and efficient referrals to sector-specific training.
Operationally, the programme faces typical integration hurdles. Participants often need help with skills recognition, childcare, transport, and timely access to jobs in regional labour markets. World Jewish Relief and partners will need to work with local authorities, employers, and community sponsors to tackle these barriers and translate training gains into sustained employment.
For the U.K. government, the award signals continued investment in targeted integration programmes that aim to reduce long-term welfare dependence and support host communities. For participants, the combination of personalized job coaching and accredited English instruction is intended to boost employability quickly. If the programme repeats previous results, officials and charity leaders say, it could substantially improve the economic prospects of thousands of displaced people.
World Jewish Relief is inviting eligible Ukrainians resettled in England under U.K. government schemes and Hong Kong BN(O) visa holders aged over 18 and based in England to register for STEP. Interested applicants can find registration details and contact information on the charityโs STEP pages.
This article is based on verified information from World Jewish Relief, the British Council, the U.K. government STEP Ahead evaluation, RAND Europe, and Jewish News.