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Most asylum-seekers and refugees possess high-level qualifications and want to work, yet the vast majority are unemployed, Birmingham University researchers have found.

A Learning and Skills Council survey of more than 500 asylum-seekers and refugees in Coventry and Warwickshire discovered that more than half held degrees, professional diplomas, or higher-level vocational qualifications equivalent to NVQ 4 or 5. But many have been unable to find work because their qualifications are not recognised in this country, and 80 per cent of those surveyed were unemployed.