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Prof. Mirela Xheneti, Dr Matilde Lucheschi, Dr Rana Zayadin and Dr. Özgü Karakulak from the Strategy & Marketing departmant of the Businsess School, hosted experts in employability and workplace diversity at Platform 9 Brighton in May 2025 to discuss strategies for supporting refugees entering the UK workforce. Co-hosted with Brighton-based charity The Launchpad Collective, the panel featured the School’s Careers Consultant, Vicky Raynard, Anita Pain, Employment Advisor at Brighton and Hove Job Centre, diversity and inclusion specialist, Vicky Love, and The Launchpad Collective’s Urwa Mahmood. 

Speakers shared insights on tailoring applications, networking, and understanding applicant tracking software, with Pain stressing that AI-generated CVs are often rejected. Love highlighted the importance of fostering an inclusive hiring process, while Mahmood reflected on her personal journey as a refugee, underscoring the value of self-reflection and proactive engagement with employers. 

Attendees networked over food and drinks before joining group activities, where they explored ways businesses and individuals can improve refugee employability. These discussions culminated in a collaborative workshop, allowing participants to share strategies for making employment pathways more accessible. 

It was a great opportunity for the Business School, local stakeholders and refugees to get together to make equitable employment opportunities for underrepresented job seekers in the city and wider UK a reality.