Mo’s story

My father was an engineer. From about six or seven years old, I used to go to his workplace. I remember seeing the massive machines and was curious about how they worked and how they had been built. From then, I decided to be an engineer like my father. 

I have a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering. After I graduated, I joined the Sudan Railway Corporation as a junior mechanical engineer, where I worked for about three years. During this time, I did all the usual duties of the role, like inspections of train engines and regular maintenance of the catalogue. 

My career meant a lot to me. I found myself completely absorbed by this field. I am a person who enjoys doing things by hand. So being in the engineering or mechanical world with massive machines, doing the repairs myself, there is nothing like that in life for me.  

Building a new life 

My first challenge, or first goal, when I came to the UK was to speak English fluently. I knew I had to do this to find work and to requalify; that was my mission. It has taken a long time for me, to be honest, and I still want to continue to improve my English. 

During the Corona virus pandemic, I got a job as a support worker. I have learned a lot from this job. Beside my passion for engineering, I am a person who loves to help others, and I used to take care of my parents. This job helped me to improve my English, get involved in the community and to learn about life here. It also made me completely independent and able to support myself.  

Returning to engineering 

Restarting my engineering career was always in my mind, all the time. But there were other challenges that were more important for me first. I needed to support my parents, because they had been displaced many times. I couldn’t accept the idea that they might need something and would not have the ability to get it. So, I focused on supporting them to make sure they had everything they needed.  

Last year, they settled in another country. I finally felt like they were completely safe, and now it was time for me to get back to my career. 

Accessing support 

A friend told me about Breaking Barriers’ Language and Re-accreditation Programmes about three years ago [then part of RefuAid]. But as I mentioned, I was not ready to take that step then.  

Once I did sign up, I received really good support. I attended an English language school through Breaking Barriers and now I meet a tutor every week for an hour and a half to practice.  

I got my Statement of Comparability [a certificate that shows how international qualifications compare to the UK education system]. I tried to apply for jobs but most of the feedback I received mentioned the main problem with my CV was the employment gap. I believe another challenge is a lack of connections, and also not being up to date in your field and the latest technologies. 

I had been thinking about studying a master’s degree and I even got an offer of a place. But I decided that a master’s wasn’t going to add much value for me. I am a mechanical engineer, which is a practical field. So unless I want to go down the academic path to be a researcher, it is not the thing for me.  

I decided to do some courses in my field. I did a really good course last year with the National Training Academy for Rail on rolling stock systems, which is the maintenance and operation of, mainly, passenger trains. This was with help from Breaking Barriers. I will be doing another course soon. It will open up different jobs for me.  

It is not easy at all. But I am trying to do my part and really see what my CV is missing, to help me get noticed and hired. It takes time and patience.  

But engineers from refugee backgrounds have much to offer UK industry. I have a lot of friends who are engineers with specialism in different fields. One friend is an electrical engineer, who is doing a Phd. There is much that the country can benefit from.  

My goal is to be a specialist in passenger train maintenance. I am a person who loves working with massive mechanical parts, finding a problem and solving it, being in the workshop environment and wearing the overalls. I really do love it.  

*Name changed