Thanks to the Springboard Cheshire programme, Oleksandr from Ukraine has been helped to find employment in the UK and secured a main role within the Eurovision Festival in Liverpool, during the Eurovision Song Contest 2023.
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Springboard is an employment and skills programme to support people living in the Cheshire and Warrington area. Led by the Torus Foundation it helps people out of work get straight into employment, with personalised, one-to-one support to build on skills, plus the chance to access a range of real jobs.
Oleksandr came to the UK under ‘The Homes For Ukraine Scheme‘, living with his hosts in a very remote village in Nantwich, Cheshire. He is used to city life back home in Ukraine, so moving to a very rural location in a new country was a complete shock.
His hosts have been a great support, in terms of everyday life, however, Oleksander required more in-depth support to help achieve his career goals whilst he resided in the UK.
Both Oleksandr and his wife Viktoriia (also a Springboard participant) have a background and formal education in the entertainment business; working as actors, talent agents, and performers.
How We Helped
Oleksandr’s Springboard advisor Claire from Career Connect, created a very specific plan when she first met with him and built his action plan around this: To advance his English speaking skills (through ESOL at Cheshire College South & West), create two very specific CVs; entertainment industry-specific (Oleksandr’s long-term career goals) and customer service specific (for his short-term plans), complete and fund application for a UK driving licence, to ensure a seamless commute to work as he was living in a remote village.
Claire also conducted mock interviews, to help Oleksandr understand customer service terminology in the UK, as this sector was where his focused job search was, supporting Oleksandr with the application process. Claire liaised with employers on Oleksandr’s behalf to help him understand the recruitment and onboarding processes
Oleksandr obtained a customer service assistant role at Marks & Spencer’s food hall, whilst he builds the necessary networks in the UK, to enable him to return to the entertainment industry. Talking about Claire, Oleksandr said: “She was more than helpful! All the things Claire did, were quick, and they hit my targets.”
Eurovision Opportunity
An exciting opportunity has now arisen, which will see Oleksandr perform at the Unity Theatre in Liverpool, as part of an initiative run by the local Liverpool Council, in line with the Eurovision Song Contest 2023.
The performance is called ‘Maria’ and is based on a novel written by Ulas Samchuk, about the life of a young woman through the history of the Ukrainian upheaval. Oleskandr will be performing one of the main roles, ‘Korniy’. .
Oleksandr described the performance: “Through the life of one woman we will show all the different things that happened at that time in Ukraine, war, revolution and a famine. We hope after this, and after Eurovision, we’ll have some performances of ‘Maria’ as well, in different places. We can show everywhere, we can come everywhere.”
How to Book
This is a FREE event, but numbers are limited, so you must book tickets to attend – CLICK HERE TO BOOK.
The Springboard team is so pleased to hear Oleksandr is back on the stage doing what he loves and that he has also secured employment! We wish him all the best for the future.
Good luck and well done Oleksandr!
Read this story on the Torus Foundation website.
