If you need help finding (other) work, you are not alone. At ZW Werkt Door, numerous professionals are ready to help you discover what you can and want, where your opportunities lie and what really suits you. But who are these people and how do they help you? We would like to introduce them to you.
This time we interview Abdel Chekhchar, case manager at Werkom. He assists people who are looking for work. In this article, he explains exactly what his job entails, and how he can help people move forward.
Job placement
Abdel explains what his workday at Werkom looks like. “As a case manager, I mediate candidates who can or cannot yet make the step to work. I guide them when they have been reported from the municipality for mediation to work.”
Not everyone is ready to move into work right away. “Some candidates don’t yet know what they want and need orientation first. In that case, they first receive orientation training within Werkom. Once it is clear in which industry or direction they want to work, I can guide them further.”
Many job opportunities
There are many opportunities right now for people looking for jobs. Abdel: “There is a demand for personnel in almost every industry. Engineering, for example, has a shortage of skilled workers.” Even if you don’t have the right qualifications or experience, there are several options. For example, you can get your practical certificate and thus learn while you work, or you can be retrained to another profession.
Abdel: “We look at the candidate’s wishes and competencies, and then at the real job opportunities. For example, when someone has an affinity for technology, but not the right professional knowledge. We then try, in cooperation with an employer, to arrange an apprenticeship, for example. That way, that person can then still absorb the knowledge, and eventually become a skilled worker.”
From working in construction to surveying
Often more is possible than you think, even if you have a work limitation, for example. Abdel: “I helped a refugee from Syria who had worked in construction in his home country. He had the knowledge and knew what he was talking about, but lacked the professional knowledge in Dutch.
He also couldn’t get back into construction because of his work disability. I then linked him to a trainer, and eventually he started working as a surveyor. There he could use his knowledge, but no longer had to do physically demanding work.”
Looking for work? Make it negotiable
Are you struggling to find a new job yourself, or don’t know what step to take toward employment? Abdel gives advice: “Make it negotiable and ask questions. If you don’t ask anything, you won’t get an answer either. We will help you and gladly think with you.”