One of our favourite stories that demonstrates some of these impacts for one of our community members comes from Abubakr. When Abubakr first joined us, he was working hard toward his National Progression Award (NPA) and looking for a way to turn his academic knowledge into real-world skills. He was eager to find a space where he could learn the practicalities of the IT field while managing his studies. He was also keen to have a real-life opportunity to practice English, his second language.
Joining our programme provided exactly that balance. Abubakr took on the challenge of working with various technologies, which allowed him to put theory into practice every day. Beyond the technical side, he gained vital health and safety training on handling electrical equipment and e-waste. Balancing his course deadlines with his time at The Turing Trust also helped him develop excellent workload management and the ability to work effectively under pressure.
All that hands-on experience led to a major boost in confidence when it came time to apply for roles – something he’d been hesitant about knowing job interviews can sometimes be extra tricky for people from diverse communities. We are so happy to share that Abubakr has achieved his goal of entering the IT field, securing employment as a Technology Support Assistant at the University of Edinburgh!
I owe The Turing Trust my thanks, respect and appreciation for opening the door to me. Thank you to everyone in the organisation who has supported me throughout my journey and helped me to reach my goal of being employed in the IT field
