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Cengiz's Story
Cengiz came to the UK in 2007 with excellent language skills and wanting to work in the Customer Service sector: -
“I could see the Olympics coming - I have the languages, but no certificate to prove it”.
He enrolled as a volunteer at his local Kurdish advice centre, which led to part-time work at a local hospital. With little money at the time, the fact that the interpreting course offered by Making Training Work was free was an important factor in enabling Cengiz realise his ambition of becoming a professional interpreter.
“Making Training Work helped me to integrate myself into the work culture of the UK – how to write job applications and CVs. The interview practice was really useful, Making Training Work taught me that I actually have to sell myself.”
Cengiz had found job interviews stressful and confusing, but after the training, he realised: -
“I could be proactive and influence an interview – if I am really good for this job there is no need to panic”.
He then applied for two jobs, was shortlisted for both, and finally obtained a full-time job as a receptionist for his local council. He lives in a borough where there are many speakers of Kurdish and Turkish, so not only are his languages an added bonus for his employer, but will enable Cengiz to play his part in increasing the accessibility of council services for people from these groups.
Cengiz, like many other trainees on Making Training Work courses, found that he had learnt a lot more on his interpreting course than he had expected to.
