NEWS/BLOG
Our refugee interpreters!
Last year, we applied for a grant from European Social Funds in order to support a group of Syrian refugees through the training required to become one of our interpreters!
The refugees came to the UK through the government’s Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme, a programme set up to resettle 20,000 vulnerable Syrian refugees who had been living in refugee camps.
Our 11 trainees took on the Level 3 Community Interpreting qualification, studying over 12 weeks and covering topics such as ethics and cultural awareness and covering some key industries such as healthcare, education and mental health.
We were there to support throughout – we supported with administrative tasks, organised the necessarily technology required for studying and made weekly check-in calls of encouragement.
After the 12 weeks of studying was complete, it was time to face the exams! Five fantastic trainees passed first time to gain their certificate, while the others prepare to re-sit the papers next year.
“I have to tell you something about that lovely course I had this summer… that course meant a lot to me. Even though I am experienced with many careers – building, carpentry, and construction – I gained the first certificate which I can work with in the UK. Also, I made new friends in my area.”
– Khaled
We are so proud of all our trainees and have been delighted to welcome them to our interpreter workforce at Clear Voice.
The success of the trainees is such that we have decided to continue putting budding interpreters through the course next year. We are proud to be using a portion of our profits to enable more refugees to gain their Level 3 and kick start their interpreting career!