Employment Success Stories

Wallace’s Story

Wallace is originally from Brazil and moved to Ireland in 2012. He has a Bachelor of Arts in Communication and Advertising and a Master’s Degree in Strategic Marketing. He had been looking for a job in his area for 6 months until one of his friends recommended him to try the EPIC Programme: “I’ve applied for a lot of job opportunities but I didn’t get any interview”.

Enyinna’s story: An empowering EPIC journey in Dublin

Originally from Africa, Enyinna had to face numerous challenges in his journey into employment in Ireland. This is Enyinna’s story in his own words: My journey to the BITCI-EPIC Programme started with the simple conversation I had with an elderly woman I was opportune to meet at a Job Fair in Blanchardstown, in early 2017.

From Peru to Ireland, Sara Sue’s Story

Sara Sue left Peru for Ireland in 2012. She has a background in Business Management, Systems Engineering plus seven years of experience as an IT consultant. “With my experience I thought it was going to be easy to find a job, but I was wrong.”

The power of sharing your work experience with a job seeker

Coming from Brazil she came to the EPIC programme feeling a bit lost and not knowing how to find her path. After completing the programme and attending various workshops including one with Accenture, she identified her interest in Human Resources and decided to go back to college and deepen her knowledge.

Enyinna Ngwobia success story

Coming from Africa, I knew I had to work hard to find a job and I was ready given the fact that things are done differently in the western world. But alas, I was devastated and I was getting desperate to say the least”. When Enyinna Ngwobia left Nigeria, he had completed graduate studies including a Master’s in Political Science and another in Public Administration. He also had over 10 years of professional experience with the last two particularly focused on project management and business but despite this, still found it very difficult to get a job in Ireland. “My applications for employment were always rejected, even in cases I was sure I was qualified for, so consequently, I jumped to the easy conclusion that I was a victim of ‘racism’. I lost confidence and zeal, believing all was futile”. Joining the EPIC Programme, Enyinna was able to understand the...

Christiane’s story

I am Christiane, I am from Brazil and a Portuguese citizen. In Brazil, I worked in a private bank for 10 years. Last year I studied English in Galway. I love Ireland and I decided to live in Ireland because it would provide a good opportunity to improve my English and take on new challenges. I spent 7 months looking for a job in my area. I met a Spanish friend who had completed the EPIC Programme course and he told me the course helped him a lot. He explained a little about the course and how he had gained a job in IT. He told me he learned how to prepare himself for job interviews. I was very excited to start the course. Joining the Epic Programme helped me to create a CV and cover letter. The teacher was motivated and competent and the course encouraged me to discover...

Gaining confidence key to Elisa’s success story

Elisa moved to Ireland in 2014 in her early twenties and struggled to find a job for nearly 3 years. Having completed studies at third level, she didn’t have any professional experience so decided to enrol in a volunteering position for few months and also took further training hoping to increase her prospects of employment. She was unsuccessful. At the beginning she was shortlisted for interviews but didn’t get selected for the positions. Whilst she kept motivated and continued applying, she was not contacted for any interviews. Elisa joined the EPIC Programme in 2016 and quickly realised the need to improve her English Language for work. “Through the training I learned how to layout my CV and cover letter for job applications and I also got hands on preparation for interview questions. Additionally I increased my knowledge about different topics such as the social welfare system and access to health...

Ebere’s journey to secure employment with the Government

Ebere is originally from Nigeria and a naturalised Irish Citizen. Before moving to Ireland she worked as a Clerical Officer with the government and got a Higher National Diploma in Banking/Finance. She arrived in Ireland along with her children in 2003.

From 7 years job seeking to full-time employment, this is Palwasha’s story

Palwasha is originally from Pakistan and came to Ireland in 2008 on a spouse visa to join her husband. He came to Ireland to do his Masters in Computer Science and got a job offer immediately after completing the studies. Looking at her husband’s progress, she was very hopeful for her future in Ireland.

Suzanne joins Ricoh Ireland

Being a responsible and sustainable business is at the heart of everything we do at Ricoh . With a presence in more than 180 countries, we constantly strive to positively benefit the communities in which we operate. In Ireland, one way in which we achieve that is through Business in the Community Ireland’s work placement programme. The programme offers jobseekers an opportunity to gain work experience in Business in the Community Ireland (BITCI) partner companies. As part of that, BITCI invited several candidates to tour Ricoh Ireland’s Production Print Centre in Glasnevin, Dublin, or our HQ in Swords, and decide for themselves if they would like to be a member of our team for the duration of their placement. Typically, candidates in the programme stay for two to four weeks – but that all changed when we met Suzanne Fahy. Suzanne came to us as part of the BITCI work placement programme in March 2016 after...

Sandra’s story

Three years after Sandra moved to Ireland with her family, she was still out of employment. Having a degree in Administration, an MBA in Strategic Planning and Management and over 10 years of work experience in Brazil, she was confident that would be able to find a job pretty quickly but this didn’t happen. Sandra learned about the EPIC Programme through a friend in 2016 and decided to join. “I quickly realised that I was unsuccessful in my applications because I didn’t know how prepare my CV and a cover letter according to the Irish standard. I also had difficulties to be able to communicate in English language by phone which is necessary when attending interviews”. Joining EPIC Sandra was able to learn more about interview preparation, increase her confidence and expand her networks. She also enrolled in a work placement within Business in the Community Ireland which helped...

Business Action on Employment programme exceeds 2015 targets by 24% with help from 45 companies!

2015 was the year when the economic turnaround translated into a real increase in job opportunities. In 2015, our Employment Programmes as part of our Business Action on Employment supported 167 people into paid employment, 32 people more than our target of 135! Our clients include a wide range of people facing many different barriers to finding employment.For some it is difficult backgrounds and life experiences – e.g. former addiction, mental ill health, criminal convictions, early school leaving, the care system, human trafficking and disadvantaged youths. For others it is migration, either by choice or as refugees – which is the additional barrier to finding employment.Using different approaches including training, 1-1 support, work placements and business supports, BITC helps people overcome their barriers to getting into the workforce. In 2015, 21 BITC member companies and 24 other businesses supported our clients through a range of engagements including hosting work placements,...

From homelessness to full time employment, this is Kevin’s story

Kevin was referred to Business in the Community Ireland through the Dublin Simon Community. He had experienced homelessness in the past, and he was now settled in private rented accommodation and eager to return to full time employment after a three year gap.

Monika’s story

The best way to describe the impacts of our programmes is to hear from one of our clients. Here’s Monika’s story: Monika is in her late 20s and is highly educated. When she came to Ireland seven years ago she held a Degree and a Masters in Marketing and Media from her home country. When Monika arrived in Ireland her priority was to find a job so that she could support herself and improve her English. This meant putting thoughts of pursuing her career in marketing and media on hold and accepting the first jobs which she was offered which included working as a waitress in the hospitality sector, followed by working in customer service in a bank for three years. Monika then had an accident in which she was seriously injured. She had to leave her job and went on Disability Allowance while she recovered, which took two years....

Jennifer’s story

Jennifer moved out of the family home after a breakdown in her relationship with her mother. She contacted Focus Ireland and after a period in a homeless hostel was linked with the Stepping Stone Charity who provided her with independent accommodation in the city centre. She was then referred to Ready for Work by her support worker. The client immediately impressed us as being independent, capable and a strong communicator; she also had a clear career goal of becoming a childcare worker. The Ready for Work team sourced a placement in a small family-run childcare business, this being the first time they participated in Ready for Work. Jennifer said she really enjoyed this work experience and it confirmed for her that childcare is what she’d like to pursue….Here is the feedback she received from the crèche manager: “I think Jennifer would make an excellent childcare worker. It was a pleasure...