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Ossama

Constructing residential areas @ Gemeente Rotterdam

Born in Syria, Ossama has always had a passion for Civil engineering. After a long search for safety, he came to the Netherlands four years ago and now lives in the beautiful city of Wassenaar. By getting in touch with PofO, he has been able to find a fitting job for him at the Gemeente Rotterdam where he can use his passion and skills to the fullest.

Work and experience at the Gemeente Rotterdam
“It wasn’t easy to look for a job at first, but because of the support of PofO, I started my career as Project Engineer on the 8th of January this year at the Gemeente Rotterdam. Since then, I’ve been working in the Realisatie Buitenruimte Noord team and I’ve been able to develop my skills working with Autocad and other programs. The goal with this is to complete the construction of the new residential area “Park 16 Hoven”, Ossama explains to us. He described his new job as a very interesting one, where he fulfills his tasks with enjoyment and passion. “There is a new challenge every day, with a lot of new things to learn about this field of work. I get to work in a very friendly and helpful team, which allows me to find pleasure in the working atmosphere and to strengthen the bonds with my colleagues.”

Overcoming obstacles
When we asked Ossama what some of his biggest difficulties were, he told us that getting to know the Dutch language was definitely one of them. “To be able to communicate well in the Dutch language was very hard for me at the start. However, I’m working hard to improve my skills daily and it shows.” He also tells us more about what his adventure was like to look for a job in a completely new country: “Looking for a job in a new country is a very big challenge, especially if learning that new language is also taken into consideration. Because of the fact that we only have a very small network of connections, reaching out to organizations like PofO is an effective way to get all the needed support to find a fitting job for newcomers. I’m so grateful for the effective and continuous aid from PofO en the Gemeente Rotterdam, who both give me daily support to find my way in this new country. I feel a lot more confident in my stability of life for me and for my family.”


What is the opinion of the Gemeente Rotterdam?
We asked Hugo, Ossama’s team lead, about his experiences with working with Ossama. “Ever since working here, he proved to us that he is amazing working within our team. He adds a great atmosphere to our team and always asks critical questions, which shows that he takes the responsibility of his tasks seriously. He does this by writing all of his questions down on a notepad and when he wrote some down, he goes through them in one go with one of his colleagues. A real efficient way of working!”.

Hugo then told us a bit more about the work that Ossama does for the Gemeente Rotterdam. “Ossama works within the team that is constructing ‘Park 16 Hoven’ and works with the drawing of the plans in Autocad. Three streets in the area of Elzenrijk have to be reformed from construction sites to residential areas. By working out the current and new situations, all the obstacles are immediately brought together, which gives a clear overview. This work also includes visiting the construction sites and with all of this, Ossama works in a very careful way. His accurate way of working is very important with this and he always does this with enjoyment, while still being driven and focused. Sometimes, he is surprised when it’s already three o’clock. “Time goes by fast!”, he then says. This is, of course, a very good sign!

Hugo also noticed the obstacles that Ossama mentioned earlier. “Becoming one with the Dutch language was one of his biggest problems at first. Within the Gemeente Rotterdam, we have a list of abbreviations that are being used widely. He saved the link to this list, so that he can always look at them. He wrote down the jargon that is used a bit less often, so that he can still look at it when needed and once in a while he asks his questions about them. So, even though it was a problem at first, he worked really hard to conquer this problem: and he did!”

At the end of the interview, we asked what Hugo’s experience has been like working with PofO. “We had a very nice meeting to get to know each other with Max, where we had enough time and space to give each other information and ask questions. We are positive about helping newcomers find their way into the country and to give them a trusted working area, where they can develop themselves and grow as a person in a new country. We are very happy with Ossama and are very happy with working with PofO!”

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