LEJOG 4 TBB — Connecting refugees to international job opportunities
There are plenty of countries where you can cycle the length or breadth. Some of these have become big things. Some for adventure. Some for racing. All are challenging.
The journey from Land’s End, in the south of England, to John O’Groats, in the very north of Scotland (LEJOG), is one of them. The typical cycling time to complete the course is 10 to 14 days (if not pursuing timed records).
The current men’s record holder is Michael Broadwith who set 43 hours, 25 minutes and 13 seconds in 2018. The current women’s record holder is Christina Mackenzie who set 51 hours, 5 minutes and 27 seconds in 2021. The timed record for this route on a Penny-farthing hasn’t been broken since 1886!
I will be cycling this route of 1633 kms (980 miles) over 9 days in September. Yes, it will be beautiful and scenic, but over nine days, it will be physically and mentally challenging. It means riding 160+ kms every day (and camping each evening). It will be tough.
I am riding from the very bottom of Britain to the very top to raise awareness and money to support the work and advocacy of Talent Beyond Boundaries (TBB). TBB is the only organisation in the world connecting refugees to international job opportunities, opening labor mobility as a complementary solution to traditional refugee resettlement.
I am proud that Iress has taken an active role in supporting Talent Beyond Boundaries (TBB) through this employment pathway since 2019, and has directly assisted the relocation and professional employment of (so far) five refugees and their families in Australia and the United Kingdom.
At Iress, we have been proud to pioneer with TBB, proving labour mobility, and that there are significant positive impacts for the economy and society as a whole. The current global skills shortage presents an economic imperative that the matching of skilled refugees should certainly be part of the solution.
If you feel that TBB and this cause is worthy of financial support, I appreciate your generosity. You can support TBB here.
More powerfully, if you are a business leader reading this, I encourage you to investigate the opportunity to access skilled talent through TBB for your business. The direct impact on the lives of refugees, and their families, and its flow-on effect internally should not be underestimated. It has singularly been the most impactful social initiative at Iress. If you want to talk to someone who has been directly involved in employment of skilled refugees, let me know.
