Hull West JobCentre - Basic Polish Training

Client: Hull West JobCentre

Service: Language tuition and translation

Language: Polish

Location: Hull

Sector: JobCentre

Date: November 2007

Aim: To enable front forum staff to be able to communicate in basic Polish with growing numbers of Polish customers at the JobCentre.

Project Outline: A ground-breaking project which involved providing JobCentre staff with a phrase card containing translations of the most common simple phrases - such as "I know a few words in Polish" and "Are you here to look for work?" into Polish.

The initiative also involved giving tuition in how to pronounce and speak some of the phrases to the five key staff whose job it is to establish what a jobseeker’s situation is.

The project followed a sudden influx of customers from Poland at the JobCentre this year, where hundreds of Polish customers are sometimes seen every week.

Prestige says: "We were very keen to be able to help the JobCentre staff in this way. Teaching them basic phrases in Polish, applicable to the situation, has helped Polish jobseekers feel more engaged with JobCentre staff at what must be a difficult time for them - searching for work far from home. Cultural and language divisions in communities can be a big problem, so it was very satisfying to be involved in this."

The customer says: "Prestige delivered an excellent service - our staff now feel much more confident in communicating with our Polish customers. This initiative has really improved our customer service. The customer reaction has been amazing - the Polish people are so pleased that somebody can speak the basics of their language.

"We've already shared the phrase card with other JobCentres around the country, so more people are benefiting from Prestige's experience."

Contact us: For further information, contact:
Prestige Network
Tel: 01635 866888
Fax: 01635 877357