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Poles not disappointed by work prospect
POLES Joanna Dyr and Maja Kachellek have not been disappointed by work prospects since they arrived in Swindon.
They are among thousands of immigrants who have come to the town in recent years to make the most of career opportunities.
The Government released figures on Tuesday which showed that more than half of 2.1m jobs created since 1997 went to migrant workers.
The numbers of immigrants living in Swindon is unknown, but Honda and the Great Western Hospital are major employers of immigrants in the town.
Joanna, 26, came to Swindon in March to start a job at Honda.
She is a professional with niche skills that Honda recruited from abroad.
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Joanna, who works in purchasing, was hired through a recruitment agency in Poland.
She worked for Polish company Complex and has a degree in business and technology from the Technical University of Lodz.
"Swindon is a nice town with many good employers," said Joanna, who lives in Old Town.
"There are many international people around. In my department, there are about 10 different nationalities.
"There are also a lot of Polish people working in the production line, but I don't know the exact numbers.
"Honda is a brilliant company - it allows us to move between departments to get experience of different sections."
Joanna says once she builds up enough experience she may return home to her family after a few years.
But Maja Kachellek, from Wielkopolska, says she is unlikely to ever return to her home country, as she prefers Swindon.
The single mum arrived two years ago and is studying English at New College and working in the Polish Community Centre in Whitbourne Avenue.
Her five-year-old daughter, Nikol, attends Holy Rood School and Maja says her English is very good. "I like Swindon," said Maja who lives in Walcot.
"I don't want to go back to Poland, as there is no work.
"I've met a lot of people from Poland here and have also made friends with second-generation Poles.
"There is quite a lot of work here and I recommend it to friends and family."
Anna Rabuszco, vice chairwoman of the Polish Community Association, says there is a high turnover of Poles in the town.
"Thousands are coming in, but many are also leaving," she said.
"People with families tend to stay as they have children at school. Young people come and go.
"Before, only occasionally would you see a Polish face in the town centre, but now you hear the language being spoken all the time."
Source: Swindon Advertiser, Sarah Hilley
02/11/2007
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