UK healthcare startup Cera to recruit, train and employ 500 refugees from Afghanistan in response to crisis
Afghanistan has been in the news since last week after the Afghan government fell to the Taliban on August 15. The collapse of the Afghan government has led to the fleeing of thousands of Afghan refugees to neighboring countries like Pakistan and India. Some refugees were also flown to the United States and the UK.
While the United States has done very little to help its own citizens stranded in Afghanistan, much less the refugees, UK-based healthcare startup Cera is helping Afghan refugees in the UK. The company will be working with local councils and the government to train new arrivals from Afghanistan as Professional Carers as part of their resettlement.
Today, Cera, a tech startup that delivers healthcare services in people’s own homes, announced a new initiative to recruit, train and employ 500 Afghan refugees in the UK, in response to the ongoing crisis in Afghanistan.
The UK government has confirmed that 20,000 refugees from Afghanistan will be arriving in the UK over the next five years. Cera, which launched in November 2016 and employs more than 6,000 staff across England, Scotland, and Wales, has developed an innovative recruitment platform that can train and certify new Professional Carers in a matter of weeks. The company works with more than 160 local authorities across the UK, and is opening dialogue with each of them as part of this initiative, as well as the Home Office.
Cera is keen to support those arriving into the UK from Afghanistan as part of the government’s resettlement program, and will be running this initiative over the next five years in parallel to the government’s timeline. The company will be recruiting refugees from Afghanistan nationwide, in a range of frontline healthcare roles.
Ben Maruthappu, co-founder and CEO of Cera, commented: “We understand that for many of those displaced by conflict, finding employment is yet another significant obstacle to overcome in starting their new life. Over the next five years, our goal is to support them in this journey by offering a pathway into not only gainful employment, but an enormously rewarding career in one of the UK’s most important sectors. We’ll be working with those councils we are already in partnership with, as well as the government more broadly, to reach out to those affected and who are eligible for these roles.
“If we can play even a small role in helping those arriving from Afghanistan, that’s an opportunity we’re keen to grasp with both hands. We’ve been greatly inspired by the response from across the international business community, and are keen to support wherever we can.”
Founded in 2016, Cera has over 6,000 staff across England, Scotland, and Wales, delivering more than 30,000+ healthcare visits in older people’s homes each day. The company has pioneered machine digital and data analytics technologies to transform the care sector – empowering users to live longer, healthier, and better lives at home by supporting care workers and predicting changes in the health of users faster than traditional methods. More than 85% of carers using Cera’s app believe it enables them to deliver a safer and more effective service.