A Co Kerry local development company has launched an online professional recognition guide to help Ukrainian refugees reconnect with their career choices. It will help people from career backgrounds as varied as law to hairdressing.
The online resource consists of advice in PDF and other formats, all accessible on Google Drive.
It gives Ukrainians information regarding how their qualifications are viewed by professional bodies in Ireland and what, if anything, they need to do to have their qualifications recognised in Ireland.
The guide was developed by Ukrainian support workers of North East West Kerry Development (NEWKD) in partnership with Kerry County Community Response Forum.
The guide applies only to those who received temporary protection under the EU Temporary Protection Directive. It has been shared with the Ukraine Civil Society Response Forum Ireland and with the Irish Local Development Network.
The resource has been accessed thousands of times. NEWKD’s folder of resources on Google Drive is available here.
A one-stop-shop website for Ukrainians in Kerry explaining everything you need to know about Ireland has become so popular nationally that development workers are calling for it to be resourced long-term.
Many Ukrainians on first arrival here head to Boots, because they expect they’ll need good footwear for wintertime like at home. They are perplexed to find that Boots here is a pharmacy. They cannot rely on Google Translate.
Similarly, Ukrainians who want to buy an electronic device are puzzled when Google directs them towards Curry’s which they know as an Indian dish.
Rules around public services, from employment schemes to information on education, can also be confusing for people.
The website www.ukrainiansinkerry.ie links directly to government, public service and commercial websites of use to newcomers.
As well as helping Ukrainians, the site also reduced repeat queries to staff and released them to do more development work.
While the development worker who led this project is securely employed through the Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme, funding for two team-mates has run out.
Olya Marynetseva from North East West Kerry Development says the website could be easily replicated in other counties. For more information, or to offer collaborative support, call Olya at 066 7180190, or email OlyaMaryntseva@newkd.ie.
Not all resources for Ukrainians in Co Kerry are online – Tralee Library now has a special bookshelf with links to libraries around the world.
The Ukrainian bookshelf is part of a global project by Ukraine’s First Lady, Olena Zelenska, which has seen 44,000 books displayed on 170 shelves in 37 countries and counting.
The Ukrainian Bookshelf in Kerry was officially launched by the Ambassador of Ukraine to Ireland, Larysa Gerasko, and the then Mayor of Kerry County Council Jim Finucane.
The idea is spreading within Ireland, with Ukrainian bookshelves in libraries in Dublin, Limerick and elsewhere.
