WOMEN who fled the war in Ukraine are counting their blessings – after landing top banking jobs.
Thousands of refugees came to Scotland from the war-torn country, but a third struggled to get jobs with many highly skilled workers being turned down for jobs stacking shelves.
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Now a tech pilot, run by The Royal Bank of Scotland, has helped displaced victims develop the tools they need to start successful new careers.
And they are calling for more firms to offer lifelines to the skilled workers who need them most.
The Royal Bank of Scotland’s Women in Tech programme was launched a year ago and nine ladies have now secured full-time positions at RBS’ Edinburgh headquarters after the project delivered free training to folk who settled in Scotland due to the fighting.
Kateryna Losyeva, 37, was a teacher back home and wanted to create a better life for her daughter, 10. But she was knocked back for a number of shop jobs before she took part in the pilot.
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She said: “Maybe it was fate as I’ve always been attracted to the tech field. Not long before the war I found the courage to seek re-skilling opportunities in Ukraine.
“The war erased all my dreams and what I was working for. At that time I wasn’t thinking about my future career, it was about safety.
“Everyone keeps saying we are so brave and hardworking but you need an opportunity. A lot of people in Ukraine have skills, higher education and lots of experience.
“So it could be useful for both sides to have these shared experiences.”
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The pilot – delivered in partnership with Code First Girls, Capital City Partnership, Equate and Data Lab – has helped nine refugees land jobs.
Many displaced Ukrainians have arrived in the UK with a Scottish sponsor since the war broke out. A large number held prestigious jobs in their homeland and studied for years to reach the top of their field.
But some qualifications aren’t recognised in the UK and so they’ve been forced to leave their areas of expertise and seek jobs they wouldn’t have otherwise considered.
Liudmyla Chernick, 35, was a teacher in Mariupol until her home was hit during one of the early bombings in February 2022. Along with her husband and son, 11, the family thankfully weren’t there when tragedy struck.
One of their neighbours didn’t survive the blast as the situation continued to worsen. She said: “This opportunity was just what we needed.
“In Ukraine we had a wonderful house, beautiful garden, two cars and everything we needed.
“The first time I cried was when we left the city, we literally didn’t have time to cry before. They bombed constantly. We were hiding in basements then we realised that if the bomb falls on the house, we would just die there slowly.
“We didn’t build plans for the future because I didn’t feel we had a future. I couldn’t even dream about what I have now.”
Liudmyla couldn’t continue her teaching career in Scotland and quickly set out to find a different vocation.
As she knows how difficult it is, she has also called on businesses to follow the example set by RBS and offer a helping hand to skilled workers displaced by war.
She added: “I didn’t expect I would succeed as a software engineer. When I started the course it was so difficult but I did it.
“It was easier to make these steps because everything I had was in the past. I was looking more for opportunities. If you see an opportunity, just go for it, after everything that’s happened to us, any boundaries in my head have disappeared.
“Of course we’re scared and it’s difficult, but it’s better to try now than regret not trying later.”
Meanwhile, Olga Chumak, 45, and her family left Ukraine on the very first day of the war when a rocket hit a neighbouring house.
Thinking they’d be able to return in a few days, the family didn’t take any of their belongings and left with just the clothes on their back. Two years since the night they left, it still isn’t safe for them to go back.
But the former accountant, who has a son, 12, can finally see an exciting future. Now she hopes that more UK firms offer these sorts of opportunities to allow people the fresh start they deserve.
She said: “This is about moving from darkness to light. My family and I left our home on the first day of war, it was extremely unsafe to be in our apartment
“Scotland was especially attractive for people who watched Braveheart. We were welcomed very warmly with lots of hospitality.
“But the real question was of what to do next and how to find a job. I heard about this amazing programme where the most important thing was desire and to keep growing.
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“It was an amazing experience and the best course I’ve ever had in my life.”
Olga added: “It was a fairytale. With good and evil, someone takes away and someone gives. And this programme is a huge gift for refugee women, it’s an opportunity to rebuild your life.”