Success Story - Solomon
When political conflict forced 39 year-old Solomon to leave his native country of Eritrea and his career as a professional football player behind, he found himself in the UK and wondering where to turn next.

He heard about Learning Links Europe through a friend and decided to call into the centre to find out about what help he could get.

Solomon comment: “It was such an unreal situation. The fighting with Ethiopia forced me to leave my country, my family, friends and job behind. I arrived in the UK not knowing where go, who to talk to or where to get help. I didn't understand the language and knew that that should be my starting point.

“The team at Learning Links Europe put me onto an initial assessment and enrolled me onto an ESOL language course.

“It was overwhelming at first but soon the letters and word of the English language started to take shape and before I knew I understood basic phrases.

“The centre's teams were on hand to help me through the course, explaining anything I wasn't understanding and improving my pronunciation.

“It's amazing how quickly you can learn the language when you put your mind to it and I soon found myself helping my friends learn some words.

“I was awarded my work permit a few months ago and Learning Links helped me apply for work. I have accepted a cleaning position and I cant wait to get started. I'll still be working on my skills with Learning Links Europe, I want to learn as much about the UK as I can and although its unlikely, if I ever do get the chance to return I'll have new experiences to share with my family.”

Pictured: Solomon with skills for life tutor Glynis Miller