Guest blog by Holly Simmons (Founder of Niya.ai)
*Niya AI gives refugees and asylum seekers free, personalised career support, in any language via WhatsApp. It offers people jobs / training recommendations, generates CVs, updates LinkedIn profiles, runs mock interviews, supports with applications, career planning and more.*
Unlocking The Potential of Refugees
Refugees bring immense talent, resilience, and potential to the global workforce, yet they often face significant challenges in rebuilding their careers. Navigating unfamiliar job markets, overcoming language barriers, and proving their skills in systems that may not recognise their experience can be overwhelming. Without clear guidance, many remain underemployed or unable to access the right opportunities.
Abundance & Accessibility: The Biggest Challenges
One of the greatest challenges refugees face is the overwhelming abundance of career information available online. The internet is filled with job platforms, training programs, and resources and the sheer volume of search results can make it difficult to identify the right next step and the right opportunity at the right time!
Another major barrier is the accessibility of support. Many career services are not available in native languages, cost money, require laptops, or demand users to create numerous profiles online. Any combination of these factors can leave refugees feeling excluded from their new labour market, rather than empowered.
How Niya Tackles These Challenges
Niya bridges the gap by making personalised and quality career support accessible – at any time, in any language, via WhatsApp. Their AI-powered Career Companion helps refugees and asylum seekers through:
Curated Training & Job Opportunities – Matching users with relevant courses and live openings.
CV & LinkedIn Support – Helping users create professional resumes and online profiles.
Mock Interviews & Application Assistance – Preparing users for job applications and interviews.
Career Planning & Skill Development – Providing tailored recommendations for upskilling.
By integrating these features into a simple WhatsApp tool, Niya ensures career support is always within reach.
Success Stories: Real People, Real Impact
The impact of Niya is best seen through the success stories of those they’ve supported. One software engineer, unable to secure a job in their field, turned to driving Ubers. With Niya’s guidance, they accessed free coding training, refined their CV, and secured a tech job. Another individual, who fled conflict and struggled to find work, discovered free hospitality training, gained a qualification, and landed their first full-time job.
Countless stories like this prove that, with the right support, refugees can thrive. And Niya wants to extend this support to anyone who needs it.
Join Niya in Expanding Access to Career Support
If you are a refugee or asylum seeker looking for career guidance, start your journey with Niya today and it will support you every step of the way: www.niya.ai/m/refugee-week
For refugee organisations and charities, email holly@niya.ai to learn more about how you can empower your community with access to Niya.
Together, let’s ensure that no refugee is left without the support they need to succeed!
