As the country moves forward with its economic recovery, there is a population that is often overlooked by employers—the immigrant talent pool.

With heightened calls for diversity, equity, and inclusion, one Philadelphia organization has launched a toolkit aimed at HR and DEI specialists, as well as those involved with training and development. It's designed to help them examine their own biases and better understand how to make their workplaces more multicultural.

The Welcoming Center—whose mission is to promote inclusive economic growth through immigrant integration—has just launched the Engaging Immigrant Talent Toolkit. “The goal for the toolkit is to identify ways to successfully integrate immigrants into the workplace, regardless of their skills and education level,” says Rochelle T. Cooks, M.Ed., director of employer engagement at The Welcoming Center.

Rochelle T. Cooks, M.Ed., The Welcoming Center (Photo: The Welcoming Center)

Cooks says the creation of the toolkit was a collaborative effort that started with employers, but didn't stop there. “One of our initial questions to employers was asking if they had a strategy for integrating immigrants into their workplace."

"The majority of them did not have one. The majority of them had not thought of having one. That's not a negative towards them. It just wasn't a thought,” explains Cooks.

She adds, “The whole goal for the toolkit was for it to be employer-informed. But we always wanted to make sure that we had the immigrant voice at the table, as well as the workforce development practitioners. We understand representation matters.”

Building a Welcoming Workplace

Monica Munn, WES Mariam Assef Fund (Photo: World Education Services)

“What does it look like to build a multicultural and welcoming workplace that cuts across any sector or kind of organization?” asks Monica Munn, managing director of philanthropy at WES Mariam Assef Fund, the philanthropic arm of World Education Services which funded the toolkit.

“As we think about the demographics in this country, it is so important to think through how we are supporting a multicultural and multi-generational workplace. Many HR teams—people managers—aren't equipped with that skillset,” continues Munn.

On hand for this week’s toolkit launch was Sheila Ireland, deputy secretary of workforce development for Pennsylvania’s Department of Labor and Industry.

She notes, “I would suggest that employers need to take a closer look at their hiring practices. Workers today are looking for employers who are providing high quality jobs, and flexible, equitable, and diverse work environments. If you think wages alone are a proxy for a job quality, you will find yourself in trouble in this new world order.”

Awareness, Responsibility, and Accountability

Cooks says employers are often seeking immigrants only for entry-level jobs without recognizing that this talent pool has a diverse set of skills and backgrounds. “Our perspective is, ‘That's nice. We also need you to consider immigrants for other positions because not all immigrants fall in one category.’”

“What are the steps that need to happen to make sure that you're not continuing with that bias and only bringing in immigrants for that lower-level position. Not to say that you can't bring them in for lower-level positions. It's making sure that if you have higher level positions, that you also consider them for that, too,” emphasizes Cooks.

Munn adds, “Some of the individuals that The Welcoming Center has worked with are folks that bring international education or training, but many employers don't know how to evaluate those credentials.”

International Professionals Program (Photo: The Welcoming Center)

“Be mindful when stating that you want a degree from a U.S. accredited institution. You've already eliminated individuals who actually may have the degree and education that you're looking for.