AS THE national debate over immigration and asylum-seekers continues un- abated, the plight of refugees is a cause that has attracted the support of many university students.

They have the time and energy to devote to such “worthy” issues. They also tend to become involved with Amnesty International and other campaigning and voluntary groups, such as People & Planet and Student Action for Refugees (Star). Then they become accountants and lawyers.

But there is sustainable employment available for those who have the drive to pursue a career in socially active and politically relevant fields.

Ruth Pryce, 27, is the head of Star, in London, which aims to raise awareness of refugee issues and trains students to work on related voluntary projects. “There is a lot of competition for jobs in the voluntary sector,” she says. “Some candidates with masters degrees are even overqualified academically. But if you’re motivated and determined there is work out there.”

More than 400 people work for the Refugee Council, and internships are on offer at the London office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

Pryce says: “Volunteers at university used to be predominantly women doing social science subjects, but now there is a much wider mix. Students know that they will be much more employable if they have some real voluntary experience on their CV.”

Some universities, such as Birmingham, even offer accreditations towards a student’s final degree for completed voluntary work. The Whitbread Young Achievers awards demonstrate corporate recognition of voluntary achievements among 16 to 25-year-olds.

Pryce adds that the time students spend on projects such as renovating disused bicycles for refugees in Cambridge, or setting up a food co-op in Glasgow allows them to reassess what they want from a career. It also enhances their life skills and employability.

Sharon Kinsley, who looks after the graduate trainee programme at the Department for International Development, is realistic about the prospects of those seeking to work with refugees.

She oversees 40 trainees a year, each of whom is given a broad overview of Third World development, including questions such as poverty reduction. Trainees undertake a foreign placement, where they are likely to encounter international aid groups and non-governmental organisations dealing with refugees.

Kinsley says: “For those who seek to influence policy and help legislation, there is the opportunity to make a difference at the Home Office.

“The Government is no longer looking for lots of boffins who can’t deliver, but for more rounded people from a range of backgrounds with good relationship skills.”

Paul Williams, 31, is a GP and a good example of a graduate who has used his professional and relationship skills to forge a career helping refugees. At his first practice in the urban North East, he was surprised by the level of hostility towards asylum-seekers from other patients and NHS staff.