Jevgeni and Valentyna empower Ukrainian refugees

The story of Jevgeni Lychev starts in Belarus. As a political refugee, he came to the Netherlands about twenty years ago and managed to settle here. He began working as an Employment Coordinator for Ukrainians. Valentyna Karasova (35) fled to the Netherlands in 2022, shortly after the start of the war in Ukraine. Given their own experiences, they know exactly what refugees face when they come to the Netherlands, simply because they have lived through it themselves. So, they can certainly be called experts by experience. An added bonus is that they speak the right language to guide Ukrainian refugees, among others, towards a new job. Today, they share their work and the special contribution they make to the new lives of refugees in the Netherlands.

 

Knowledge is power

In the Netherlands, there is a high demand for workers in the logistics sector. But there are some requirements and rules attached. For example, companies often want a temporary worker or employee who has a forklift or reach truck certificate. Combine this with the drive of Ukrainian refugees to integrate into our society and their desire to work, and you create a demand for training aimed at this target group. Jevgeni actively and enthusiastically addresses this. “Since the beginning of this year, I have been offering forklift training at Logistic Force for these people, ensuring that they have the proper certification to start working at great companies. We are the only company offering courses specifically for Ukrainians,” says Jevgeni. Participants come to him in various ways. He is very active on platforms like Telegram, often attends trade fairs, and has good contacts with aid organizations and municipalities. “I don’t care how someone reaches out to me. If I can help them, I will.”

 

Taking care, taking care, and taking care some more

After the training, Valentyna takes over. As a recruiter, she schedules a screening with each candidate to answer the most pressing questions: What makes you happy? How many hours do you want to work? What is your maximum commuting distance? This information is crucial for finding the perfect match. At Logistic Force, we call that “The Better Job.”

From all this information, Valentyna creates a CV and gives it to one of the employment coordinators at Logistic Force. These colleagues have daily contact with clients and know exactly where they need extra hands. But Valentyna’s work doesn’t stop there. “This is just the administrative part of my work. I do a lot more for these people. I support them at a very high level. This includes helping them fill out (mandatory) forms from municipalities and other government agencies, referring them to the right aid organizations, answering all their questions, evaluating whether they need additional training for a particular job, and facilitating Dutch language courses.”

 

Non-Profit

“There is often so much enthusiasm, but also knowledge and skills, in people who flee from another country. We empower them again. By helping them, supporting them, and providing further training,” says Jevgeni. And this goes beyond just Logistic Force. Jevgeni provides these training courses not only for Logistic Force but also for other companies, organizations, or municipalities. “And if, after the training, it’s still difficult to find a job through Logistic Force, we don’t just give up. I also have connections at other companies and clients,” Jevgeni explains. He takes on the support tasks Valentyna described earlier. “Our priority is to develop and place these people, regardless of whether that’s through Logistic Force, another temp agency, or directly with a client.”

 

Pride

When we ask them if they are proud of their work and the contribution they make, they are both very modest. “I’m happy that I can contribute to the development of people, but at the core, they really do it themselves,” says Jevgeni. “I am grateful for the opportunity I’ve had at Logistic Force and I’m happy to offer the same experience to people from my homeland. I wish them that chance too.”

Director Martin van Dijk has something to add: “Corporate social responsibility is an essential and indispensable element of our business operations. But we also need the right people for that. We are incredibly proud of what Jevgeni and Valentyna have achieved in such a short time.”