Sarah Builds Skills and Gets Motivated Through Grow

Sarah lives in Hillingdon and came to the UK five years ago. She has been volunteering to support refugees and asylum seekers through a local charity and, in 2024, joined the Grow Programme after a friend recommended it to her. With a strong background in interpreting and teaching, Sarah is using Grow’s resources to build her confidence and continue growing her skills as she looks to restart her career in the UK.

Sarah said “I found out about Grow in October 2024 through a friend. We both volunteer with a charity called REAP that supports refugees and asylum seekers. I’ve been helping people with things like English, interpreting, and housing. My friend told me that Grow could help me with my CV, finding courses, and preparing for work, so I decided to give it a try.

Before I came to the UK, I worked as a translator and interpreter for the US Army in the Middle East. I’ve always liked helping people, and I want to do the same here. But when I arrived in the UK, everything was different, and I didn’t know where to start.

Grow has really helped me. I’ve done a Level 1 Customer Services course through Get Set UK and joined the Grow Bootcamp. These sessions gave me a lot of energy and motivation. They helped me believe in myself again.

One thing I really love about Grow is the support for women. Women have so much to deal with—looking after children, running the house, and still trying to build a career. Grow understands that. It brings women together from all backgrounds and gives us space to grow, learn, and move forward.

The team at Grow are amazing. Many of them have been through the programme themselves, so they understand what we’re going through. Seeing them now helping others gave me hope that I could do the same.

I also use the Grow Jobs Bulletin—it’s really helpful and full of ideas for jobs. Right now, I’m looking for work in interpreting, admin, customer service, or as a teaching assistant. I’m currently doing a Level 2 Customer Service course and also thinking about doing more training to keep improving my skills.

Grow has given me the confidence to keep going. It reminds me that I can do this!”