Iraqi Career Summit in Washington, D.C.

Thousands of Iraqi professionals risked their lives working as translators, interpreters and cultural advisors to serve the US government during the war in Iraq. More than 250 have been killed and others faced death threats. About 500 have fled to the US under a recent government program that grants special visas for these Iraqi allies, and more than 5,000 will arrive this year. These Iraqi professionals need support to find positions that are a fit with their considerable education and experience.

"Our loyalties are with the US government - we sacrificed our lives for this country. But the US government brought us here and forgot about us," says Bahjat, an Iraqi professional who worked for an American contractor in Iraq. We want Bahjat and all of our Iraqi allies to know that we honor their sacrifice and we have not forgotten what they did for our country. Upwardly Global, www.upwardlyglobal.org and The List Project www.listproject.org, two small, private non-profit organizations, and Manpower Professional, www.manpower.com, a global staffing company, are committed to helping Iraqis rebuild their careers in the US.

Career Summit for Iraqi Professionals: A Two Day Workshop

On June 8 and 9th in Washington DC nearly 50 Iraqis from the Northeast, Midwest and Washington DC area gathered together for a Career Summit. This Summit included Job Search Skills and Resume Workshops, Industry Roundtables and an Employer Networking Event. After the event the project continues with ongoing mentorship and placement support for the Iraqis, through both Upwardly Global and Manpower.

Feedback from the Iraqi professional participants was extraordinarily positive:

"As the newest who arrived to the country we both felt confused with the whole job search system and how to start the first step but with people like you all we feel so excited and so hopeful that we started on the right path with the right people." - A Summit participant

Highlights:

• 44 Iraqi Professional Jobseekers from a variety of industries
• 100+ Volunteers acting as resume developers and mock interviews
• 41 resumes completed in 12 hours (an UpGlo record!)
• 50+ Employers attended an Employer Breakfast, hosted by Manpower
• 12 Upwardly Global and List Project Staff organized the event and trained the jobseekers

Upwardly Global and Manpower continues to work remotely with these Iraqi jobseekers remotely to find them professional positions in their fields. With some early success, we are confident that these Iraqis will continue to find placement opportunities that use their skills and experiences.

To hear one of Upwardly Global's Iraqi's success story, click here:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=92845163