Transitions is a social enterprise working in London that supports civil, electrical, mechanical and structural engineers, architects and business services professionals from refugee backgrounds to restart their interrupted careers and gain permanent employment. Transitions is a member with the Refugee Employment Network (REN) and together they aspire to increase the hiring success rates of professional candidates and employers.
Here is a story of a web designer and entrepreneur from Egypt:
I was a successful graphic and web designer and entrepreneur in Egypt, but I was forced to leave by national unrest. I was unfamiliar with the UK labour market – I simply did not understand the importance of networking – and I lacked UK experience and references along with big gaps on my CV. I also had some technical skills gaps.
Transitions helped me learn about the UK labour market and acquire experience and references through work placements. I made a complete overhaul of my job seeking strategy and tailored my CV for each role, work experience in online marketing and software development and a coding course paid for by Makers Academy helped me to fill my CV, gain references, keep up with professional practices and fill skills gaps.
My placement with Capgemini
''The placement was very successful, eventually leading to permanent employment. It’s good to know the people you’re working with and have a collaborative professional relationship with them. I have been able to demonstrate my identity and become confident enough to express my opinions and ideas.
I’m more optimistic about my prospects in the UK and my economic situation has improved a lot. I recommend Transitions’ services – I wish I had known about them earlier!''