HistoryRefugeeWorks was created in 1997 as a program of Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service
(LIRS), one of the ten national voluntary agencies responsible
for resettling refugees into the country each year. The same year,
the U.S. Office of Refugee Resettlement selected RefugeeWorks as the
government’s principal training and technical assistance provider
for employment and self-sufficiency.
Since this time, our
staff has traveled extensively across the country providing training
and consultation to our partners within the national refugee
employment network.
Historical Timeline
Some highlights from our past twelve years of
service:
1997
RefugeeWorks program launched at
Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service
2000
Inaugural newsletter published and
distributed to over 2,500 readers
2001
Refugee
Youth Employment Manual is published
2002
California Refugee Youth Initiative launched
First Employment Training Institutes held in Philadelphia
and Des Moines
2003
Center for Budget and Policy
Priorities features RefugeeWorks for third year in marketing
materials on Earned Income Tax Credit promotion
2004
The film The Way to Work: A Job
Preparation Guide for the Somali Bantu distributed to the
national network
RefugeeWorks selected as one of nine
national organizations for Wilder Foundation’s two year Nexus
project, Strengthening Refugee and Immigrant Led Organizations
2005
Staff partners with local organizations to
co-host Employment Training Institutes in Baltimore, Jacksonville,
Las Vegas, Omaha, Fresno, Chicago, Miami and Portland, Maine
2006
RefugeeWorks establishes Advisory Board
Financial Literacy for Newcomers report published
with funding from Thrivent Financial for Lutherans
Advanced
Employment Training Institute debuts in Atlanta, GA and
Baltimore, MD; Buffalo, NY, and Grand Rapids, MI also host
Employment Training Institutes
2007
Refugeeworks celebrates 10th Anniversary
New website launched
Employment Training Institutes held in Providence, RI, Phoenix,
AZ, Denver, CO, and Louisville, KY
2008
Monthly E-news launched and grows to over 1,000
subscribers in three months
Forth Worth, TX, Indianapolis, IN, Los Angeles, and Manchester,
NH host Employment Trainings Insititutes
"Refugees in the Workforce" Photo Contest
2009
International Night of Networking held in collaboration with the
Baltimore Resettlement Center
Employment Training Institutes grow into larger events with
two three-day trainings held in San Jose, CA and Raleigh, NC
Inaugural National Conference on Recertification held in East
Lansing, MI
White papers series on opportunities for foreign-trained
professionals launched
Selected as partner in the "Worker Integration and
Naturalization" Project with CLINIC (Catholic Legal Immigration
Network)
2010
Refugeeworks begins 13th year of service
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