![]() Last September, a cohort of 11 Ukrainian newcomers, who arrived in London under the Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel (CUAET) program, were placed in part-time culinary support positions in Ontario and Saugeen-Maitland dining halls and at Great Hall catering. This has been an extraordinary response to extraordinary circumstances.” Everything from clothes donations to navigating the health care system, Western faculty and staff have continuously reached out to see how they can assist. “I’m incredibly struck at how collaborative the campus community has been. With enthusiastic support from across campus including CUPE 2692, and in partnership with the Western English Language Centre (WELC), Alleyne and Freeman’s team developed what has become a successful work-learn pilot project. We knew there had to be something we could do, so we put our heads together.” ![]() “But they wanted jobs, and they brought translators with them. “They couldn’t speak English,” Freeman said. “We were recruiting a large number of employees due to the shortage created by the COVID-19 pandemic, and they were in desperate need of jobs,” Freeman said.īut one important hurdle lay before them. When Chris Alleyne, associate vice-president, housing and ancillary services, and Jodi Freeman, senior advisor, stopped by the Western hospitality recruitment fair last summer, they were struck by the number of Ukrainian newcomers, eager and ready to work. The potential for a “win-win” situation was just too great to let pass.
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