Yasr Turkay
Fleeing death threats, torture and brutality in his native Eritrea, Yasr Turkay was granted political asylum and refugee status when he arrived in the UK in 2005. With a new start in an unfamiliar country, Yasr used learning to help create a successful life for himself, his wife and five children.
Yasr had been a mechanic for 20 years, and owned a business in Eritrea. However, in the UK these skills were not recognised and he had to, “learn from scratch many new things.” Yasr decided to get the qualifications for a new career in community integration work.
The starting point, alongside an English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) course, was a programme in Self-Esteem and Confidence Building with My Time, a social enterprise organisation. Having been awarded OCN Level 2, this opened the door to a UCLAN Level 3 certificate in Community Research. He has since gained a UK driving licence and registration with the Security Industry Authority.
Yasr now works as an Engagement Worker supporting families from new communities. He is also involved in a long-term gardening project helping people from war-torn countries and is developing a counselling project mentoring young men to improve their lives by tackling trauma, depression, anxiety and low self-esteem.
“I’ve made a massive jump from a different country, a different culture and a different occupation,” he said. “Learning has opened up new doors for me. In four years my whole life has changed.”