Volkswagen : has today joined the Tent Partnership for Refugees (Tent), a global business network which mobilizes companies around the world...

Volkswagen Group joins the Tent Partnership for Refugees - a global business network mobilizing companies to support refugees around the world

• Tent has already galvanized over 130 companies around the world to help refugees
• Volkswagen Group will bring its own experience from helping more than 4,500 refugees

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The Volkswagen Group has today joined the Tent Partnership for Refugees (Tent), a global business network which mobilizes companies around the world to support refugees. As well as encouraging companies to make commitments to help refugees, Tent also shares best practice and companies' experiences to support the economic integration of refugees. To date, the companies in the network have helped over 200,000 refugees in 34 countries.

Ariane Kilian, Head of Volkswagen Group Refugee Aid, said: 'The Volkswagen Group and its brands support a wide range of integration initiatives for refugees. These range from language courses and study scholarships, through to internships, qualifications, starting new careers, as well as support and mentoring by volunteers. Our wide-ranging experience has shown results: the integration of refugees requires patience on all sides - but it's worth it! As a new member of Tent, we are thrilled to share our experiences and to receive valuable input for our work .'

Since 2015, the Volkswagen Group has run a number of integration initiatives across many of its brands that, through training, prepare young refugees for the job market. Over 4,500 refugees have already gone through these programs. Some of these initiatives include: the Wolfsburg pilot project 'Training Perspective for Fugitives'; the 'Porsche Integration Year'; and Audi offering classes on professional and cultural skills, as well as industrial internships at truck manufacturer MAN.

Gideon Maltz, Executive Director at the Tent Partnership for Refugees, said: 'We're thrilled that the Volkwagen Group has joined Tent. Volkswagen has already shown great leadership in training and hiring refugees - joining Tent will mean building on this great work, and inspiring even more companies to follow in their footsteps.'
The Tent Partnership for Refugees mobilizes the business community to improve the lives and livelihoods of nearly 26 million refugees who have been forcibly displaced from their home coun-tries. It believes that companies are uniquely positioned to alleviate the global refugee crisis by mobilizing their networks, resources, innovation, and entrepreneurship to integrate refugees into the global economy. Tent was launched in 2016. Over 130 global companies are currently mem-bers of the Tent Partnership.

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