“Being on this course has improved my mental health” – Ibrahim’s Story
Groundwork Greater Manchester are one of five charities working with Salford CVS and Salford City council on the Learning, Skills & Work programme across Salford. A programme funded by the Albert Gubay Charitable Foundation to support, train and prepare people furthest from the job market to pursue their dreams to gain skills and employment.
Background
Ibrahim is a refugee who left Northern (Kurdish) Iraq 6 months ago. He has settled in Salford but has struggled to make any friends and find employment. He was referred to Groundwork through Salford Loaves and Fishes because he wanted to work in the construction industry, having been a qualified Civil Engineer in Iraq. Chris, an employment coach at Groundwork, enrolled Ibrahim onto the Preparation for Work in Construction course, which was being delivered out of The Mustard Tree in Little Hulton.
Overcoming barriers
The main barrier Ibrahim faced was a language barrier, which made it difficult for him to understand the UK’s rather strict Health and Safety rules and procedures. He could speak good English, but struggled to understand certain terms which were mentioned in Health and Safety training. Ibrahim admitted to having dyslexia a few weeks into his sessions with Chris, and so he was able to receive additional support. Groundwork supplied him with a screen filter and paper filter, which Ibrahim says has helped him with reading documents and reading at home.
Chris says that Ibrahim has shown lots of resilience, spending time after class looking through handouts the team provided, and completing many CSCS mock tests. Ibrahim stated that being on the course surrounded by others has helped with his mental health, as he had been feeling quite lonely since moving to the Salford alone and struggling to make friends.
Looking Ahead
Since enrolling onto the programme, Ibrahim has completed the Preparation for Work in Construction course with Groundwork, passed his Level 1 City and Guilds Heath & Safety qualification and a Level 1 City and Guilds Customer Services qualification. He also passed his CSCS exam with full marks!
He has also attended employability sessions which covered updating his CV, practicing interview techniques, and even had a styling session with Working Wardrobe.
Chris is continuing to work with Ibrahim on a weekly basis, helping him look for work. He has applied to register with the institute of Civil Engineers to hopefully secure him a job in the future. The team also helped Ibrahim pull together a digital portfolio showcasing the work he was involved with when he lived in Iraq.
*Name changed and stock photo used to keep identity anonymous
