Economic Pathways to Refugee Integration

The EPRI program seeks to increase the rate of employment for refugees and humanitarian entrants with lower skill levels and low English language proficiency.

The EPRI program Grants to Social Enterprises grant opportunity will focus on the provision of support to economic participation focused social enterprises who can demonstrate the ability to achieve economic participation outcomes for refugees and humanitarian entrants.

The opportunity seeks proposals that will support refugees and humanitarian entrants with low skill level and/or English language proficiency into economic participation.

For the purpose of this grant opportunity:

• low skill is defined as those who have completed secondary education or lower. This is based on the Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO), which classifies the completion of secondary education as the lowest of the 5 skill levels for occupations and jobs undertaken for profit in the Australian and New Zealand labour markets. Further information on ANZSCO can be found at the Australian Bureau of Statistics website.
• low English language proficiency includes refugees whose English language proficiency is lower than vocational level. Vocational English is considered to be Level 3 proficiency under the Australian Core Skills Framework (ACSF) and/or a standard average of 5.5 in the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) or the equivalent standard in alternate language tests. Economic participation refers to employment and self-employment.

The EPRI program will focus on initiatives that are supported by evidence or have demonstrated success in achieving outcomes for this cohort of refugees and humanitarian entrants. For example, initiatives that address multiple barriers refugees face to economic participation, specific to their local labour market conditions, such as those that concurrently build English language ability and vocational skills in an area of workforce need; provide additional support to refugees looking to start their own businesses; or provide direct access to a role with a large employer, with wraparound support.