The Conversion Gap: Why Moving Displaced People into Work Is Harder Than It Looks

​Hosted by Jobtech Alliance, Na'amal and part of the Jobtech for Refugees Committee of Practice, as part 1 of the first-ever Jobtech for Refugees Summit.

​There's no shortage of skilling programmes for displaced communities. What's harder — and far less talked about — is what happens after.

​Across platforms and programmes, the same pattern repeats. People go through training but don't transition into work in any consistent way. Some get placed, but drop off early. In some cases, demand exists, but it doesn't translate into real, sustained opportunities. Getting people into the system is one thing. Getting them into actual, sustained work is another.

​This session focuses specifically on what happens after training: the handoff into placement, the friction during onboarding, the gaps in early-stage support, and the patterns behind early dropout. We'll trace the post-training journey and examine where conversion breaks down at the operational, practical level — and reflect on what's shown traction and what remains unsolved.

​This will be a frank, practice-grounded conversation with platforms, skilling providers, RLOs, and funders working at the intersection of technology and refugee employment.

Interested in our work with refugees? Read our latest report here.