Who would have known that only travelling to another country would reveal the real issue
It is hard enough to land a job in your own country, but what about the environment with a completely new culture and a bizarre language you simply cannot comprehend?
However, there is a way to reduce the stress and ease the transition, and I am a part of it. My name is Julita Viļuma, and as a part of the CeMeWE project team, I promote the opportunities for career growth and motivate other women to join the labor market by writing articles and being a helping hand for the project.
Central Baltic Mentoring for Migrant Women seeking Employment or CeMeWE project is focused on integrating immigrant women into the workforce of the European labor markets by offering useful workshops and engaging activities that allow participants to build meaningful networks. Moreover, the project is implemented in 4 different countries – Sweden, Finland, Latvia, and Estonia – which allows it to reach a wider audience and help women with different backgrounds. The organized events vary from peer support mentoring groups to CV creation workshops. Though one thing stays the same- all of the events are tailored for skills improvement and career opportunity exploration.
As part of the CeMeWE project, implemented at Laurea University in Finland, I had the opportunity to see how dedication can open doors to possibilities that seemed impossible and to gain valuable experience in writing and event management.
As the Finnish branch is offering various peer support groups, I had the opportunity to see the progress of women with different backgrounds and needs.
The most surprising group was the one in which women had no education. Even though they also struggled the most, the steps that they took towards finding their job were truly inspiring and showed how effort allows one to reach new heights.
Of course, apart from seeing how women achieve their goals, I also had to write about their journey and the events that the CeMeWE project held. It was intriguing to see which conclusions the participants came to after the events and how they decided to act on the acquired knowledge
For instance, Ukrainian women in the Zemgale planning region had created their own beauty salon after visiting events of the CeMeWE.
Furthermore, as I had participated in some events of this project even before joining the team as a volunteer, I had noticed such an effect on myself, as the LinkedIn workshop had inspired me to create a good LinkedIn profile, and the CV workshop, as well as the Photoshop workshop, helped me expand my network and learn new skills that I can use.
All in all, I do truly believe that the goal of the CeMeWE project is within our reach, and I am really glad to be a part of the team with such a helpful mission. And now, the moment you have been waiting for, dear reader, yes, the education does indeed help immigrant women get integrated into the job market.
Though by education I mean personal development, the process of learning new skills, and learning about the career opportunities that are available in the chosen country.
– Julita, IVY Project Partner at Laurea University of Applied Sciences, for the Interreg Central Baltic project CeMeWe – The Central Baltic Mentoring for Migrant Women seeking Employment
