Bringing female migrants and care together

The care sector is in desperate need of skilled workers. At the same time, refugees encounter difficulties in their attempts to integrate into the labour market. So why not kill two birds with one stone? Choshiman Taib developed the idea during her studies in International Business Administration. She did not hesitate for long. Her goal was to organise a taster day at a retirement home to provide female migrants seeking employment with an insight into the care sector. In addition, they had the opportunity to complete an internship and to take an SRC Health Care Assistant training course afterwards. 

Facilitating integration

“I’m a member of the management team of the Red Cross Youth in the canton of Bern”, explains Choshiman Taib, aka Choshi. “Under the motto ‘How to Bern’, our aim is to facilitate the integration process, especially for young female migrants. One of the offers is the taster day.”

Prior to her studies at BFH, Choshi had undergone training as a healthcare specialist, the care sector being a cause close to her heart. She found a partner institution in the Diaconis retirement home Oranienburg, an establishment with which she was already familiar, having previously undertaken temporary assignments there. The knowledge derived from her studies came to good use too, as the taster days constituted the project work for her Certificate of Engagement in Sustainability (see info box).

New specialists for the care sector

At the end of January, three Ukrainian women visited the retirement home for a taster session. Olha and her family have lived in Bern since June 2004. Before the taster day, she had no experience in care. “I enjoy working with people, especially children. If I can be useful to older people here in Switzerland, why not give it a try?”, says the mother of three, who used to be a teacher in Ukraine. Her motivation had a positive outcome: after the taster day, she was offered an internship in nursing. “This is the start of a new chapter in my life. The project let me use what I learnt in my studies and contribute to a more sustainable and inclusive society”, says Ohla.

Combining theory and practice

“My studies consistently confronted me with the topics of communication, cultural diversity and social responsibility”, recalls Choshi, who has since completed her training and now works as a controller. “This helped me understand the importance of inclusion in the labour market and its effect on the economy as a whole. The project let me apply in practice what I learnt in my studies and make a concrete contribution to a more sustainable and inclusive society”, says Ohla.

Commitment to sustainability

Choshi is fully in line with BFH’s mission as an engaged university that is determined to take responsibility for the transition to a sustainable society – in terms of ecology, society and the economy. “We specifically promote the commitment of our students in these areas. Together with the other universities in Bern, we run Students4Sustainability, a networking platform that promotes student projects in sustainable development. And with the ‘Certificate of Engagement in Sustainability’, students can develop targeted sustainability-related skills and have their individual social engagement recognised”, explains Manuel Fischer, head of the strategic thematic fields Sustainable Development at BFH.

Further taster days planned

Choshiman Taib also has a Certificate of Engagement in Sustainability. But one thing in particular is important to her: “I am very pleased that we were able to open up new career prospects for the participants.” She is already planning another taster day: “Next time, I’d like to contact a larger company with enough vacancies for a larger group of participants in different occupational fields, for instance a retail company.”