A JOBS fair for the Ukrainians who have sought refuge in Limerick has produced huge interest in both short-term and long-term employment.
And organiser Anna Mazeika says that the qualifications of the people coming to the area are exceptionally high.
“We have surgeons, psychotherapists, information technology people, and there are plenty of people interested in taking up jobs for however long they are here”.
One woman was hired immediately for her skills at translating to English from Ukrainian and Polish.
“The people here are not sitting on their hands waiting for a miracle. They’re taking English lessons very seriously. They want to work,” Ms Mazeika told the Limerick Post.
Many are paying for English classes such is their desire to have a future here and to support themselves.
The Jobs Fair consisted of an introductory meeting at the City Hotel, Lower Mallow Street and gathered around 70 candidates looking for employment on the Irish job market.
It was led by Ms Mazeika and Damien Bowe, Chief Operations Officer from UniJobs employment agency.
“There are all kinds of roles that people are interested in, some a little more complicated than others. I’m told it can take up to two years for people with medical qualifications to start with the HSE for instance.
“But there are also jobs where it doesn’t matter if the employees have English or not”.
There has also been interest from other employment agencies and a second jobs fair is now being planned to explain issues such as Irish taxation and how to access childcare for parents who take up work.
All candidates must register at Unijobs.ie to be processed and help will be provided If necessary.
UniJobs assists with creating CVs, job searching and interview preparation. They are the first official agency to offer structured support to refugees in finding employment in the Limerick region.
Ms Mazeika and her sister, Kamila Turzynska, also run a Facebook Page called Ukrainians in Limerick, which provides information about various topics, in line with the Government directives and official publications.
