A permanent contract with the fire brigade via Werkse!

Afghan-Dutch Mohammad Mirzai waited ten years for a residence permit. When he finally received it, it was time for work. He delivered pizzas for a while, but that wasn't enough to support his family. Through the municipality, he found a job. Werkse!Now, a year later, he has a permanent position at the Haaglanden Safety Region (VRH). "We are thrilled with Mohammad," says team leader Jaap van der Meer.

VRH and Werkse!, have had good contacts for a long time. Werkse! among other things, arranges the cleaning at VRH. “When a vacancy became available in the 'personal protection' team, we received an email via Werkse! "We had two candidates. They both worked for a month. Mohammad was our immediate favorite, so we offered him a contract. He now works in the breathing apparatus workshop," says Van der Meer.

Testing oxygen masks
Mirzai is in his element. “I clean the breathing apparatus and test whether they still work. I refill the breathing apparatus cylinders, wash the dirty firefighter's clothing, and make sure everything is in its proper place for collection.” He completed the level 2 respiratory protection training for this. He also obtained a diploma from Werkse! He's passed his theory test for a truck driving license and is now working on his practical driving license. "I'm eager to learn, and driving a truck seems like a lot of fun." That was also one of the reasons he offered Mirzai a job. "It's very valuable that he'll soon be able to drive a truck. I try to divide as many tasks as possible within the team, so that everyone doesn't do the same thing every day. The truck is part of that," says Van der Meer.

Experience with clothing
His driver's license wasn't the only reason Mirzai got the job. "Mohammad is a hard worker. He gets to work immediately without asking. Not everyone does that. He also has experience with clothing," says Van der Meer. "My father is a tailor in Afghanistan. I learned everything about clothing from him," says Mirzai. Van der Meer observes this knowledge daily. "Mohammad has a knack for materials, knows exactly what can and can't go in the washing machine, and will call if something needs to be repaired. We outsource those repairs to another company." "That's not necessary," says Mirzai. "If there was a sewing machine here, I would make the clothes myself."

Van der Meer did have some reservations about Mirzai's command of Dutch. "He understands a lot, but he doesn't speak it very well yet. We solved that by giving him a buddy who has experience teaching Dutch. 'If I don't understand something, I ask Tim,'" says Mirzai. "We also drive together from Delft to The Hague and back every day. We practice the language a lot then, too." Van der Meer admires what Mirzai has achieved in such a short time. "Despite not having a full command of the language yet, he obtained his level 2 diploma in one go. There are plenty of colleagues who do speak Dutch well, but who can't do that right away."

Positive about cooperation
The team leader is positive about the collaboration with Werkse!. “I can only recommend other agencies to work with Werse! or similar agencies. Make sure you build good contacts with them. They know their returners and really look for the right person for the job, which saved us a lot of work right away.” Mirzai is also positive. “If you don't have a job, go to Werkse!They provide coaching, and you're given time to figure out what you're good at and what suits you. I'd say: just give it a try. Last year I was delivering pizzas, now I help people in the fire department."