JUMP PROGRAMME

 


Overall objective of the project IPS ESP (July 2021 – December 2022)

was to provide targeted employment supports to 120 persons in the International Protection System who have obtained the right to work in Ireland. This will enable them to acquire the required knowledge and skills to access employment, further education and training supports leading to increased levels of employability of the participants.

The bespoke programme was tailored to respond to labour market demand and provide training and supports to 60 people in the International Protection System with the right to work. Through our work we have orientated the participants to new employment opportunities: the project supported participants to engage in employment activation interventions that were specifically designed to provide digital empowerment, English for work courses, CV support, 1:1 job clinic & mentoring. It also focused on building the resilience required to succeed in the labour market during and post COVID 19 restrictions and delivered vocational bridging courses bringing participants to meaningful long-term employment and job security. Throughout the project we collaborated with a number of agencies, stakeholders, minority groups and all DP centres in the Northeast Region. 

***Impact sheet attached below

JUMP PROGRAMME

 (Jobs for U, Migrants Progressing)

 Integration, Education & Employment of Migrants Programme

The programme has been a great success. To date:

  • We have engaged with 618 migrant participants who underwent Career Planning Programme and/or Cambridge English training preparing them for the Cambridge accredited exams held in IH Dublin.
  • As a result of provision of Cambridge English Courses, 95% of the participants passed their final examination and 100% of the participants improved their language skills.
  • Over 65 participants got an employment directly after completion of the programme and further 93 participants became employed within 6 months after the programme completion.
  • Additional 137 participants, who were in employment upon entry into the programme, found themselves in an improved labour market situation e.g. they are employed now in a full-time capacity rather than in a part-time capacity, they have received a promotion, or have taken up new employment which requires higher competences, skills and knowledge.
  • 167 migrants entered training or further education during or upon completion of the project.
  • Due to the COVID-19 related challenges, over 11 courses were delivered online.

About the Project

The JUMP Programme is a FREE support and training programme developed to enhance knowledge, skills and experience of migrants living in county Meath; to facilitate improved access to employment and training supports.  It aims to work in partnership with the Department of Social Protection, Louth and Meath ETB, Meath County Council, agencies and local businesses to carry out a work placement scheme that will improve job opportunities for migrants who are unemployed and for those dealing with other employment barriers. The 4 year programme is funded through the ESF Programme for employability, inclusion and learning 2014 – 2020 (PEIL)

The programme consists of the following programmes coordinated and delivered county wide:

  • Accredited Cambridge Business English courses (3 levels) & Examination
  • Career Planning Workshops
  • Work Place Experience Preparation courses & Work Placements
  • One to One Coaching and Mentoring

Eligibility

The beneficiaries of the projects are legally resident Migrants living in Co. Meath: unemployed, underemployed, low paid and essential work workers (with focus on migrants with higher ESOL proficiency (beyond QQI Level 3) seeking progression routes).

 TO REGISTER AND FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:

Joanna Fitzsimons on [email protected] or 046 9093120

Cultúr Migrants Centre, Ground Floor St. Anne’s Resource Centre, Chapel Yard, Railway Street, Navan Co. Meath

www.cultur.ie

facebook cultur  celebrating diversity

The JUMP project is co-funded by the European Social Fund and the Irish Government as part of the ESF Programme for Employability, Inclusion and Learning 2014-2020

PEIL – participants success story

Hi. My name is Ludmila. I have been living in Ireland since 2013. I came to this country without any
English knowledge. I think as anyone else who moved to a different country that uses a language you
don’t speak, I faced the language barrier and experienced difficulties in day-to-day tasks, such as
asking for directions, buying food in the shop or even filling in any kind of documentation.
At that time, my friends advised me about free Conversational English Classes that I could apply for.
That is how I found out about Cultúr Migrants Centre. I started from zero at the Beginners level of
English. I tried to use any opportunity available to me to learn the language. From the beginners’
level I have built my way up in learning the language to FCE Cambridge English Level (B2).
Moreover, Career Planning Workshops were very helpful to me. I got new knowledge in how to
write a CV, how to plan my career and how to use internet sources to find a job.
Currently I am working in Cultúr Migrant Centre and I am delighted I can help people that are at the same place I was in the beginning.
I am very grateful to Cultúr Migrants Centre as this is the place that empowered me in terms of
English Language progression and my career. I got a job that I like – I have succeeded.

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My Name is Shola Yahya, I am a migrant woman living in Navan. Over the past years, I have been actively involved with Cultur Migrant Centre, a community development organisation in Navan, working with Migrants including asylum seekers and refugees.

I have actively participated in various educational trainings and personal development workshops such as the Cambridge English and Career Planning programmes which had given me opportunities and helped me build my confidence, interpersonal skills and widened my career development options.

During my Cambridge classes, I have improved my English, gained more knowledge and enjoyed the programme. The training was well organized, the materials used were appropriate for the training covering all aspect of our scheduled module and time management was excellent. The tutor has been a great help and wonderful person. At the end of the program, I was well prepared for the exam, confident in achieving my desired goal in exceeding in excellency. I was satisfied with the training, understanding and improved in my vocabulary.

Furthermore, the career planning programme helped me working out and planning for my career, creating a better resume, prepare for the job interview and making a lifelong decision to achieve my goals in life: to be a qualified community development worker. And for now, I am undergoing a Community Development accredited course.

This programme has provided a space for migrants to gain more knowledge to develop their latent skills and integrate. I believe, this project has a big impact on the migrant community, giving them opportunity to improving their skills such as communication skills, interpersonal skills, career development and get motivated to educate themselves through their effort and participation.

Currently I am a leader of the Navan Women’s group; I work part time on a community scheme to gain experience and I hope to take more of such courses in future in order to progress, such as the advanced Cambridge English course, and other educative workshops which could improve my skills.

Thank you Cultúr!

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Eva is originally from Brazil. She came to Ireland in 2013 to study English. Eva worked in the hospitality sector when she first came to Ireland, working in Restaurants in Dublin. Eva move to Navan in 2017 but struggled to get a job.

‘I would go to the library every day. I would send lots of CVs. I must have sent over 200 CVs while I was looking for a job. From March 2018 to October 2018 I was looking for work. It felt like such a long time’.

I started the Cambridge Business English classes with Cultúr in September 2018 and started working with Pauline the Job Coach around that time. First, I want to thank Joanna, who was my first contact and was always helpful and made me feel welcome.

Second, I want to thank Pauline for her help. When I started the course in Cultur I had been looking for a job for a while, and my meetings with Pauline helped me to improve my CV, and gave me confidence in my skills. At first, I found a temporary 3 months job, that now has been renewed for the third time and will lead me to a permanent position.  I want to thank all the teachers. With their guidance I approved the Vantage test of Cambridge Business English.

Thanks to all of you! You made a big difference in my life.

Eva is now really happy with her position and looks forward to what the future holds for her.

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My name is Zkriat  and I have been a member of Cultúr for seven years now. I first found out about Cultúr through one of my friends who referred me to their women’s group in 2013. In 2014 I became the leader of the women’s group but I stepped down as leader in September last year due to personal reasons. The women’s group is a safe place for women to go to talk about their issues and struggles with people who can empathise and help them with some of their issues. It is a place where women feel empowered and make new friendships.

Other than being a part of the women’s group I have also taken part in many other courses and events with Cultúr such as a jewelry making course in march 2018, integration training in june 2018, and a personal development course in 2019. I also participate in Cultúr`s monthly  migrant forum. These courses were very beneficial to me as I picked up many skills that I now use in my everyday life. I have also met many of my friends through these courses and find all the teachers to be very helpful.

In the beginning I found these courses to be especially hard for me as English is my second language. I had struggled greatly with English but through Cultúr I joined some English courses. English courses which I have taken part in included Cambridge Business English commenced in August 2017 and Cambridge English attended by me in 2018 and 2019. I feel these courses have really helped me to improve my English. Possibility to continuously attend consecutive course levels assures students progression in learning English.

Through Cultúr I have also been given many opportunities to further my education. Through Cultúr I have started a community development course at LMETB and I am now on level 5. In the future I hope to continue on with my education and find a place of employment.

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I participated in Cambridge Business English Course Vantage Level (B2) that took place from August to November 2019. This course took place twice a week over twelve weeks. The classes prepared me for the Cambridge Business English (BEC) Vantage Exam that I took place on 30th of November 2019.

During this period, I have had a chance to meet other adult professionals who wanted to improve their business language skills. This course was essential for me as I was between jobs at that time and carving social interactions. I met great fellow students and we had the opportunity to learn from each other as well.

Classes were not limited to grammar and vocabulary. We also had a chance to improve speaking, presentation and writing skills and get a good knowledge of several business topics. During this time, I also took part in a carrier planning session. Which gave me the chance to get help with developing my CV. I also had a tremendous mock interview session.

The overall atmosphere and very positive feedback from my tutor John and job coach Pauline helped me to be more confident at interviews. I could now apply a more strategic approach and get better prepared for job interviews. After several rounds of these sessions, I got job offers from two separate companies Microsoft and Kaseya.

I took the course quite seriously, and I studied at home a lot. As a dyslexic  person, writing poses the biggest challenge for me. Therefore, I created several texts for possible topics, and my tutor was happy to correct them and give me useful tips.

I feel the exam went really favourably for me, and I secured enough points to get an A mark and a Cambridge Business English Certificate BEC on a C1 level.

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My name is Svetlana  and I am from Lithuania .

I have been living in Ireland for 8 years

Before I took part in Cambridge English at Cultúr I was nervous about speaking English, I would usually get stuck repeating the same sentence over and over again. I was afraid to say any words, I was afraid to open mouth, I was afraid to make a mistake. I would stand in the corner of the room just to avoid any questions or conversations.

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I now speak English at the beginner level, but I rarely use it in my daily life. I work as a housekeeper in a large Hotel and most of my day-to-day work is with Polish or Lithuanian people. At home and with my friends I mostly speak Lithuanian.

I went to English classes in Navan twice a week because I really wanted to improve my English. I had a dream of getting a new job, but I know that my English level was not high enough. I wanted to enjoy my life, to became stronger and confident when speaking English.

Deciding to take the Cambridge courses, was my best decision. I am still a little nervous but now I am not afraid to speak. I have learned some strategies and I know that I can do it step by step.

After completing the Cambridge English course, I have participated in meetings and made presentations and now enjoy talking with others. I think the most important thing is I have stopped feeling shy.