The extraordinary journey of Ismail Haji Mohammad
Ismail Haji Mohammad has been doing an internship in the IT department of Bühler in Uzwil for almost a year. Passionate about IT and web development, with a ‘can do’ attitude, he surely has a bright future ahead of him. But at only 25, Ismail has been through much more than most people of his age.
Julia Lyubova, November 30, 2021
Ismail Haji Mohammad, 25, has been interning in Bühler’s IT department since January 2021. He works in a small team headed by Manuel Ammann, based in the CUBIC. Ismail speaks German, as well as three other languages, and has become a so much part of the team that his time with Bühler will be extended until at least next summer. Ismail is passionate about IT and web development, and he’s also Syrian refugee with an incredible story to tell.
Ismail was born in Qamishli, a city in northeastern Syria on the Syria-Turkey border, he was the youngest child. He has liked to play with computers since he was a teenager and had his first computer at the age of 11. He enjoyed playing games but quickly got into Microsoft and Adobe applications.
“In the beginning, every kid starts with gaming stuff but slowly I started going into Microsoft Office to play around, to write something in Word or use PowerPoint. And then I started doing higher level things, like Adobe Photoshop. That was my beginning,” Ismail says.
Like many boys, Ismail was fascinated with space and wanted to become an astronaut. He says he was influenced by his brother who wanted to be like Neil Armstrong. But as Ismail was growing up, at school his favorite subject was computer studies. However, he could not pursue a career in IT in Syria, so he studied English Literature at university which helped him greatly with his English skills.
The Syrian civil war broke out in March 2011. The bloody conflict has claimed thousands of lives and has displaced millions of Syrians. At the time, Ismail lived in a relatively stable Qamishli, on the border with Turkey. But he could hear explosions and see missiles firing in the distance, see smoke and smell the horrors of the conflict. There was always a looming high risk that Ismail would get recruited to the army to fight in the war.
“In Syria we have a mandatory military service. And if you are 18 years old, you should go into the army. I had a paper that I was a student at a university, but it would not last long. It was a hard decision for me but also I had to think about my future and if I should leave,” Ismail explains.
It was a hard decision for me but also I had to think about my future and if I should leave Syria.
Ismail Haji Mohammad,
Bühler IT intern
In 2016 he decided to flee. It was a decision supported by his family who were concerned about Ismail’s life and future. Along with his younger cousin, he made a perilous border crossing to Turkey and then made his way to Greece on a boat operated by smugglers with many others.
Their difficult and life-threatening journey lasted 15 days. But when they arrived in Lesbos, Greece, on March 19, luck was on their side.
“I got lucky there because there was a European Union meeting about refugees. They said everyone who arrived after March 19, 2016, will be stuck there and everyone who arrived before would get the paper and go,” he explains. “And I arrived on March 19. And as I arrived, they said: ‘Take this paper and go to Athens.’”
During the European Council meeting of March 18, 2016, EU (European Union) leaders reached an agreement with Turkey, the so-called EU-Turkey deal which included the action point on the return to Turkey of all irregular migrants crossing from Turkey to Greece after March 20, 2016.
After Athens, Ismail’s long journey began. He travelled by bus to a camp near Macedonia where he was with around 20,000 other refugees. There he registered for a relocation program with the UNHCR (the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees). He had to choose eight possible countries from a list of 25 countries in Europe which then decided whether to accept a refugee or not.
“I didn’t have a particular country in mind. I just wanted to live in a peaceful country and a country where I could continue my education,” Ismail says. “If I stayed in Greece, I would not get the same opportunity as in Switzerland for example.”
I just wanted to live in a peaceful country and a country where I could continue my education.
Ismail Haji Mohammad,
Bühler IT intern
He had to undergo many interviews with the UNHCR about why he left Syria, his background, any relatives in Europe, in order to establish as much information about him as possible. Some of the interviews lasted from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m., asking Ismail about ‘everything’. Then countries would study his profile and decide on whether to take him in.
Switzerland invited Ismail to come for an interview to find out more about him. He went to the Embassy of Switzerland and after this interview he was accepted in its relocation program. Ismail’s cousin was also lucky and got accepted by Switzerland too.
At the end of 2017, Ismail boarded a flight from Athens to Zürich. From the airport he was taken by a bus organized by the IOM (International Organization for Migration) to a refugee and asylum seekers center in Basel, Switzerland. There Ismail had to do more interviews, being asked the same questions about his background, education and reasons for fleeing.
But this was just the beginning of a long waiting game. Ismail got transferred to another refugee center in the canton of Zurich where he spent the next three years waiting for the decision from the Swiss government whether to grant him a permit to stay or not.
“Without the government’s decision you cannot go to a normal school. So, I started to push my social assistant to allow me to attend German-language classes. I didn’t want to do nothing, but I was not allowed to go to a school. I was told to go home and wait,” he explains.
Without the government’s decision... I was not allowed to go to a school. I was told to go home and wait.
Ismail Haji Mohammad,
Bühler IT intern
Eventually Ismail’s social assistant convinced the authorities to allow Ismail to attend a three-month course at a Migros school to study German. Ismail also signed up with a school that teaches refugees German, IT basics, mathematics, and other subjects. There was also a class that helps refugees find a job or an apprenticeship. But without his papers from the Swiss government, it was difficult for Ismail to find a job.
In the school, Ismail was helping one of his teachers with IT. It was this teacher who suggested to Ismail to try out PowerCoders, a coding academy for refugees and migrants aimed at placing trained refugees in IT companies and IT departments. The organization runs a coding bootcamp for thirteen weeks and an internship that lasts six to twelve months.
Ismail applied for PowerCoders and he was invited for an interview. He had to pass two exams and a test in English to enroll. More studying and exams followed but eventually Ismail was one of the few refugees who got accepted on the PowerCoders program.
As part of its curriculum PowerCoders hold speed dating events for IT managers and refugees. Manuel Ammann is the Head of CX Applications within the IT department at Bühler. He heard about PowerCoders and was well aware about the shortage of IT specialists in Switzerland.
In October 2020, along with HR (Human Resources), Manuel went to one of the IT speed dating events organized by PowerCoders. Prior to the event, they shortlisted three potential candidates to talk to. Manuel says Ismail stood out from the crowd immediately. Ismail, from his side, also shortlisted several companies and there was a ‘match’ between Ismail and Bühler.
“I gained trust in him that he has the passion to do it,” says Manuel. “I remember there were applicants with better base skills who already worked in IT, but for me that was not the most important thing. I got a feeling from Ismail that he wants to learn. And this is for me the most important.”
I got a feeling from Ismail that he wants to learn. And this is for me the most important.
Manuel Ammann,
Head of CX Applications
Ismail was offered an internship at Bühler that would last at least a year. Manuel says that hiring a refugee brings diversity to the team and it is good for his team. It is not without certain challenges, but for Manuel it was the right decision.
“Ismail brings diversity to the team, and I believe a diverse team performs better. That’s one of the elements. But also, like this we really can support someone and change his life. You don’t just give someone a job to earn a bit of money, but to someone who is willing to, you give them a new life,” Manuel adds.
You don’t just give someone a job...to someone who is willing to, you give them a new life.
Manuel Ammann,
Head of CX Applications
Ismail says he could not be happier. He says the colleagues at Bühler fully supported him and he feels completely integrated into the team. He is hoping to continue working at Bühler, start an apprenticeship and eventually have a full-time job with the company. His dream job is to be a web developer and he is willing to learn whatever it takes.
As well as at work, Ismail says he feels completely at home in Switzerland. He likes to play football and likes to watch Manchester City matches. He prefers raclette to fondue and loves Swiss chocolate.
Now Ismail has many Swiss friends, and he likes to visit them and travel around Switzerland.
“I got a good opportunity, a lot of people do not get the same chances, even if they have the same capabilities as me or much better. Here in Switzerland, I learned that if you sit around and don’t do something yourself, nobody will come to you and say, ‘hey we have a job for you or an internship, or school for you.’ That’s what I learned, and I am very happy. I don’t like sitting around with nothing to do so it’s a good chance,” Ismail says. This proactive attitude and approach seem to have led Ismail to where he is now.
I’m lucky to have the chance to be here.
Ismail Haji Mohammad,
Bühler IT intern
Ismail says he doesn’t miss Syria, but he misses his family. He says he wants to settle down in Switzerland and continue his professional career within Bühler. “I’m lucky to have the chance to be here.”
Gupfenstrasse 5
Uzwil
9240
Switzerland
