How the right job can help

For refugees like Nataliia and Mursal, finding the right work makes all the difference.

How the right job can help

For refugees like Nataliia and Mursal, finding the right work makes all the difference.

How the right job can help

Mursal (from Afghanistan) and Nataliia (from Ukraine) explain how finding work with IKEA helped them regain their confidence, after struggling when they first arrived in the UK.

Mursal

"I am from Afghanistan. I was a teacher. I have one daughter. My husband worked with the British in Afghanistan.

We came here with just our clothes and one bag. For fourteen months I was in a hotel, I had a lot of depression as well. It was very difficult for me.

In every step, Refugee Council helped me. Now I’m studying and I have a job at IKEA. When I got the email I was very happy."

Nataliia

"I’m from Ukraine. In Ukraine I had everything, but I lost everything. I was a fashion designer and I really loved my job. I came to London when the war started in my country, and at that moment it seemed to me that my life was simply destroyed, because I lost confidence in everything. Here I started everything from a clean page.

I came to London when the war started in my country, and at that moment it seemed to me that my life was simply destroyed, because I lost confidence in everything. Here I started everything from a clean page.

Nataliia smiling at camera

I have a small son. After almost a year I realised I needed to find a better job than hotel cleaning. After completing the two-week training course [with Refugee Council] I got an interview and later got a job with IKEA in the customer service team. They were patient with my many questions and made me more confident. My manager asked what I’d like to do next, and now I’m in the design studio, and I’m doing a design course. I really like my new role, it’s close to my heart, and close to my soul." ◆

The Refugee Council has partnered with IKEA since April 2021 to deliver the UPPNÅ (meaning “to achieve” in Swedish) Skills for Employment programme. The programme helps refugees with valuable work experience and skills to take their next step with IKEA or another employer. 

Help us support refugees to find meaningful work, regain confidence, and rebuild their lives.

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