More than three and a half years after the Russian invasion saw millions of Ukrainians displaced, efforts in the north west of Ireland to integrate them into the local economy and society continue. Among the displaced is Anna Koka, who came to Ireland in April, 2022. At home she worked in banking, but she is now the Ukrainian Employment Links Worker with Sligo LEADER Partnership.
“This is a complete change of direction, into social and community work, but it is very interesting,” she says.
There are around 2,600 Ukrainians living in the county and more often than not they get in touch with Anna about accessing services.
“Usually they get in touch with me. Last year we distributed information to all the accommodation centres where Ukrainians were living. That advertisement had a QR code and email addresses and details on the support that we are providing.”
“I do pre-employment work with people, I organise courses for Ukrainians, labour market related courses, things like Safepass, manual handling, basic first aid training, job seeking skills, a barista course. I provide CV support, mock interviews, job hunting skills.
Interacting with Anna can be a way of learning to negotiate the jobs market in a new land.
“It’s the first step towards employment. They don’t know what to do, don’t know where to start. Some of the courses like SafePass and Manual Handling are necessary for them. Intreo asks them to attend these courses and at least they have some certificates then. Some employers have them as requirements.
“A big issue for some people was that they didn’t have a CV, didn’t know anything about cover letters. We have provided some courses on things like that, how to do a CV and cover letter, how to do an interview, what your body language should be like. We’ve also done mock interviews and I would say that was helpful for people.”
The level of upheaval experienced by the Ukrainian is almost unimaginable for most people in Ireland. Despite the hardships, Anna feels those in Sligo have adapted and she says there is a huge effort being put into learning English.
She is also involved with colleagues providing have community supports such as a gym programme and camps for children, teenagers and parents. This year, they ran a surf camp and robotics classes for children.
“Kids programmes are usually in English, although the robotics was in Ukrainian, because it was delivered by a Ukrainian interpreter. He has also been doing classes in Ballina. But usually the classes are in English and the kids learn the language very quickly, much faster than adults,” she said.
• Ukrainian children in Sligo take part in a robotics class supported by Sligo LEADER Partnership.
She said that in general Ukrainians in Sligo are getting on well.
“They are trying to be engaged with the community. All of the kids are in school, their parents and the other adults are trying to learn English. It is much harder to learn when you are older, but everyone is trying. Many Ukrainians are going to English conversation clubs. People are going to Mayo, Sligo & Leitrim Education and Training Board classes, at different levels. Some people are even doing preparation for the Cambridge IELTS test. That’s a test that allows you to prove the level of your English if you need to work in a school, in a medical setting or as a nurse or something like that, something where you need to prove you have a very good level of English.”
Many of them have suffered and are continuing to suffer, but are still doing what they can to forge a path for themselves in Ireland.
“Many of the families are without the Dad, because they couldn’t leave the country. Many women are without their husbands and it’s hard for them and for the kids.
“Some of the people living in Sligo don’t have their homes (at home) anymore because they were destroyed. Some of them have family members who are dead following attacks. For some it’s a very hard time, some have been depressed for obvious reasons.
“But they are trying to take steps. Some of them have had to start from scratch. They might have had good qualifications; they might be engineers or teachers, but they don’t have a certain English level. They’ve started working here as bar tenders or housekeeping in hotels, something like that. Step by step they are learning English, working in these jobs and trying to get further opportunities.”
• Ukrainian children in Sligo take part in a surf camp supported by Sligo LEADER Partnership.
She says there is a real appreciation and gratitude for the opportunities made available to the Ukrainian arrivals in this country.
“Everyone is really thankful for the support that Ireland provided from the first day and it is continuing to provide support. We are all really thankful for that. People have got the opportunity to study, to work, just to live. Ireland provided some social welfare support and some allowances, which was really important. Almost everyone came here without money, even without much clothes, just a little pack of stuff from home,” she said.
