When Asaleya Al Sayasna first arrived in Sweden, she knew she would have to learn the language to have a realistic chance of finding employment. With the help of the New eXtra support in Gävleborg project, Asaleya has dramatically improved her Swedish-language skills.

The project, funded by the European Social Fund (ESF), launched in 2020. New eXtra is primarily aimed at job seeking migrants like Asaleya, but also at non-migrant job seekers with a disability who find it difficult to find employment. The project primarily works with those who have a low level of education and limited or no work experience, as well as those facing disability-related barriers to employment.

By providing educational and mobility support to migrants, New eXtra support helps individuals integrate into the wider community. By offering internship opportunities and promoting social enterprise, participants are able to gain the language skills they need for employment. This extra support helped Asalyea find and complete an internship with a local school, where she acquired much-needed skills and made new connections in her community.

‘The project has been a huge help for me’, related Asaleya, ‘I have managed to develop my language skills in a short period of time. I also learned how to communicate with pupils and co-workers during my internship at an elementary school. It was a good environment to learn Swedish because I was required to use Swedish when talking to the pupils.’

As of February 2022, over 200 people have participated in the project, and many have found employment or are enrolled in further studies. The project aims to support over 400 participants by the end of January 2023. Asaleya’s story shows that giving people a chance and providing targeted support can empower them to continue to develop in their host country.

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