29-03-2023
When Per, our warehouse foreman in Vamdrup, received a call with an inquiry from Kira, an integration consultant at Kolding Jobcentre, he felt confident that H. Daugaard wanted to help.
The inquiry concerned the possibility of hiring two women, Olha and Natalia, who had fled to Denmark from the war in Ukraine.
Olha came to Denmark in March 2022 and Natalie in June 2022, and they longed to find work, return to normal life, and earn their own money. Now Olha and Natalie work as interns at H. Daugaard’s storage hotel in Vamdrup, where they label products at H. Daugaard’s warehouse.
Fled from Ukraine
It all sounds straightforward. But that hasn’t been the case for Olha and Natalia. They both come from an area of Ukraine that Russia occupies and from which they had to flee. They had to pack whatever they could carry – leaving most of their belongings behind – and travel to a country where they didn’t speak the language and didn’t have a network.
Fortunately, they’ve been well received in Denmark, where consultant Kira is responsible for ensuring that Ukrainians arriving in Kolding can get established in the best possible way. This includes finding a home, opening a bank account, attending language school and finding work. The goal is for Ukrainians to become integrated and self-reliant as soon as possible – but this requires the proper help and support. For instance, getting a job in Denmark isn’t easy when you only speak Ukrainian or Russian.
A collaboration that makes a difference
In Ukraine, Olha worked in the finance department of a hospital, and Natalia worked as a shop assistant in a food store. The two women got to know each other at a language school in Denmark – and now work together at H. Daugaard.
Although their work at H. Daugaard is far from their previous jobs in Ukraine, Olha and Natalia are satisfied with their work tasks. The biggest challenge is the language barrier – Olha and Natalie are better at understanding Danish than speaking it; however, there’s a solution. Warehouse foreman Per has downloaded an app that automatically translates Ukrainian into Danish and vice versa. Integration consultant Kira provides an interpreter for more serious conversations.
The above is a success due to the collaborative efforts between companies and Kolding Municipality. We, the company, make work available, and Kolding Municipality provides the tools required for the employees and organisation to have a good experience – such as an interpreter.
Kira reports that they’ve found work for 71% in one year, so it generally works well.
We hope to offer permanent future employment to Olha and Natalia, as they’re doing an amazing job.
