University of Wolverhampton pledges £350k pot for refugees
Twenty refugees coming to the West Midlands from Syria and surrounding areas are to get £350,000 worth of support, free training and language tuition from the University of Wolverhampton.
The university has written to councils in the Black Country, Staffordshire and Telford and Wrekin offering to help refugees placed with them as part of the UK's pledge to take 20,000 people displaced by the conflict in the Middle East.
It is running a scholarship scheme as well as offering English language tuition and helping families find school places.
Deputy vice-chancellor of the University of Wolverhampton, Jackie Dunne, said: "In the university we have all been greatly moved by the plight of the refugees fleeing from conflicts in their home countries and we have been looking at ways in which we can help those that may arrive in the region as part of the UK Government's resettlement policy.
"As part of that we have written to our partner local authorities in the Black Country, Staffordshire, Telford and Wrekin and Herefordshire to offer our assistance.
"Through them, we want to be in a position to offer practical support for refugee families and help them make the transition to the UK as smoothly as possible. Many will have had traumatic experiences in trying to escape the crisis so if we can help in some way we want to be able to."
University staff will also help refugee families with advice and guidance on how to get their existing qualifications recognised in the UK or gain new qualifications.
The scholarship scheme, which could potentially be worth up to £350,000 will be open for two years and will pay the tuition for up to 20 refugees for an undergraduate, postgraduate or short course.
In 2013 the university took in two Syrian academic staff as part of a scheme run by the Council for at Risk Academics (CARA), an organisation that supports academic staff whose lives may be at risk in their own countries.
Dudley Council is planning to take 20 refugee families while Wolverhampton is working on the assumption it will accept around 20 people.
Sandwell and Walsall councils are currently refusing to take any amid concerns there will not be enough government funding to cover the provision of local services.
Staffordshire County Council has pledged to help but a figure has not yet been put on how many refugees will go to the county.
