Twice a Refugee, Now IEG Student of the Year: Faisal’s Story of Resilience and Determination

Faisal Mokhammad-Aiup was originally from Afghanistan but became a refugee at the age of nine and was sent to live in Ukraine. After living in Ukraine for 25 years, he became a refugee again and was able to escape the war and arrive in the UK in 2022.

Before coming to the UK, Faisal had his own successful mobile phone business in Ukraine. However, when he arrived in Peterborough, he needed to find a new direction. He contacted Peterborough Asylum and Refugee Community Association (PARCA) and JobCentre Plus, who directed him to Jobsmart, where he attended the selection day for the Security programme.

After performing well on his BKSB English assessment during the selection process, Faisal was offered a place to complete stewarding qualifications for the first two weeks. If he did well, he would be allowed to continue onto the professional qualification, leading to a Door Supervisor licence.

Faisal did exactly that, demonstrating great determination and making good progress, passing three out of four Door Supervisor exams on the first go! The College funded his Door Supervisor licence, and the Jobsmart staff helped him with the paperwork to get his Sworn Oath notarized by a local solicitor, since he couldn’t obtain a DBS check in the standard procedure from Ukraine.

Faisal is now waiting for his badge to come through and speaks highly of his experience at Jobsmart, saying, “I feel very good. I am very happy for the support I have been given and I tell a lot of people about what I’ve done.”

In May, Faisal Mokhammad-Aiup was awarded Student of the Year at the Inspire Education Group (IEG) Student Awards after being recognised for consistently displaying unwavering dedication and becoming a role model for his peers through his commitment to overcoming challenges and surpassing expectations. Along with earning Faisal this prestigious award, his remarkable ability to rise above obstacles has given others the inner strength to strive for excellence.

Here at IEG, we are proud to be a FE College of Sanctuary, working with a network of Further Education college staff, teachers and students, making education inclusive and empowering for all. Together, we raise awareness of the issues faced by refugees, asylum seekers, and people from an otherwise forced displacement background, offering specialised support and education and contributing to a culture of welcome in the wider community.