Asda has announced that they will be offering Ukrainian refugees arriving in the UK a 'guaranteed job interview' amid the ongoing conflict with Russia.
In addition to this, the supermarket giant are also said to be providing specialist support to the chosen colleagues with around 1,500 roles available.
It follows the news earlier this month that a £1 million package was provided in a bid to support displaced Ukrainian families in Europe and the UK.
Asda also made a £250,000 corporate donation to UNICEF and delivered essential supplies including George clothing, nappies, toiletries, period products and food to the Polish border for onward distribution in Ukraine.
The roles will include customer assistants, warehouse operatives, retail colleagues, delivery drivers, pharmacists and optometrists - some of which will either be salaried or hourly-paid, reports Stoke on Trent Live.
The chain said it welcomed applications from Ukrainian refugees to fill these roles and confirmed it will provide a colleague discount card and access to well-being support services immediately available to any refugees joining the business with the intention of helping them establish themselves in their new community.
To help adjust them to their new role, Asda have said that they will be producing Ukrainian language welcome packs and badges for Ukrainian-speaking colleagues to wear in stores to help customers from the country feel welcome.
Ukrainian nationals wishing to apply for a job with Asda will simply need to tick a box confirming their nationality on the Asda job site, while IPL applicants will just have to provide their nationality when they apply.
Asda’s Chief People Officer, Hayley Tatum, said: "We can’t imagine how difficult the last few weeks have been for those people who have been forced to abandon their homes and seek refuge abroad. We want to support those Ukrainian refugees who come to the UK by helping them find employment as this will give them the stability and security needed to help build a new life for themselves."
