Welcome to Work helps nearly 200 legally resident migrants
ALMOST 200 participants from new communities in Ireland have graduated under the government-backed Welcome to Work programme.
In total, 193 people took part in the programme that was hosted in Castlebar, Galway and Monaghan, with the final cohort completing the scheme in June this year.
Welcome to Work began in June 2017 and is co-funded by the government of Ireland and the European Social Fund (ESF) as part of the Programme for Employability, Inclusion and Learning (PEIL) 2014 – 2020.
The programme’s purpose is to increase employment opportunities for participants through a comprehensive 13-week course which includes language training, social skills and mentoring that will assist in gaining long-term employment or further training.
Georgina Murphy, Seetec Operations and Supply Chain Director, said: “The Welcome to Work programme has helped change the lives of many people in new communities in Ireland. Our teams have worked hard in the last two years supporting our participants and giving them the best possible chance to boost their employment opportunities.
“This has a positive impact on the community with more people ready to enter the workforce and businesses now able to recruit from a larger pool of potential employees.
“We are delighted with the impact of Welcome to Work and we look forward to hearing about the progress all of our participants have made.”
Said 23-year-old Suleiman, who fled his home in Syria and came to Ireland as part of Ireland’s refugee resettlement programme: “I have worked as a waiter and I have secondary education, but I needed to develop my CV and job interview skills.
“I was given support with writing a CV, practicing interviewing techniques, improving my digital skills, speaking conversational English, learning about Irish culture, cooking and music, and I met some lovely people.”
Suleiman has since secured a job in a hotel.
Patrycja, who participated with her husband, says: “From lesson to lesson I realised that this programme helped me to settle well into Galway, to get to know people, improve my English and give me confidence.
“The programme is 10 out of 10! The people who run the course are very well prepared and always willing to help with any issues/matters.”
To see more about participants, see: https://www.seetec.ie/insights/video-welcome-to-work-participants-speak-about-their-success-with-seetec