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  • Hong Kong BN(O)

APPLICATIONS CLOSED: HK Pathways – North West Employment Advice & Support Programme

APPLICATIONS FOR THIS HAVE NOW CLOSED PLEASE DO NOT SUBMIT AN APPLICATION AS IT WILL BE REFUSED.

The North West Hong Kong BN(O) Welcome Hub, part of the North West Regional Strategic Migration Partnership, is excited to announce our new grant programme for employment advice and support in the North West. Applications will be open until 11:59pm Wednesday 17th January 2024. More information on how to apply is below.

Please download the Application Form and Guidance here.

Recent survey data shows that approximately 20% of all BN(O) visa holders have settled in the North West, which based on recent statistics would put our population at around 37,000 people. This is larger than any other region or nation in the country. BN(O) visa holders are entitled to come to the UK, to live and work, contribute to their communities and make a new life for themselves and their family.

However, due to our different job markets, varied economies and due to restrictions many BN(O) visa holders have on their visa, access to quality employment support, training or upskilling is difficult for many. Employment has been identified as one of the key barriers facing the BN(O) community. Despite the majority of BN(O)s being educated to degree level or above and coming from professional careers in Hong Kong, only 35% of BN(O) adults are in full-time employment.

To address these issues the Welcome Hub is launching a grant application to fund organisations to support Hong Kong BN(O) visa holders in the North West with employment advice and employability support. £150,000 is available, across 3 lot areas of £50,000 each, to fund providers. More information on lot areas and funding is in the below application form.

This programme could contain the following:

  •  A caseworker model could be adopted as a part of the service with an importance on a holistic and person-centred approach.
  • There could be referral pathways developed to support the participant via external existing and new partnerships within the local community.
  • Casework could be a mixture of online and face to face delivery.
  • There should be an element of employment guidance such as cv and application writing, confidence building and mock interviews.
  • There could be an emphasis on business and employer engagement to facilitate job or progression outcomes.
  • Providers may wish to tap into existing training opportunities they offer, while bearing in mind restrictions BN(O) visa holders face in accessing funding.

For more information on eligible organisations and potential projects please see the application form below.

To apply for funding please complete the application form at the bottom of this page and return to [email protected] – any other information received in any other way will be disregarded.

The RSMP will be delivering 3 online information sessions as part of this programme to give more information to organisations wishing to apply. These will be held on Microsoft teams on the following dates – please register on the relevant links to attend:

For any other queries please contact [email protected]