A TEENAGER who fled a warzone for the safety of Inverclyde has told how a Greenock-based careers adviser helped her get a foothold on her dream career path. 

Besan Al Adawi, 18, left Syria for Scotland in late 2019. 

The tenacious teenager arrived in Inverclyde knowing that she wanted to get into science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) but was unsure of how to reach her goal. 

After she enrolled at Inverclyde Academy, Besan was matched with careers adviser Larry Hansen from Skills Development Scotland, who reviewed all of her options. 

With Larry's support, Besan applied for and was accepted onto the Applied Science with ESOL (English for speakers of other languages) course at West College Scotland. 

Besan says she is very thankful to Larry and the team for their crucial support and guidance. 

She said: "The help I received from SDS was so valuable, and really opened my eyes to opportunities that I did not know existed.

"With the great support provided by Larry, I was able to research and successfully apply for my current college course, which I'm really enjoying. 

"If it wasn’t for him and SDS I don’t think I would be pursuing my dream career."

Larry said: "Besan has showed incredible resilience and such a positive attitude despite experincing disrupted learning and relocating to a country which does not speak her first language."

Skills Development Scotland is currently working with 32 refugee and asylum seekers in school and post-school services across Inverclyde. 

In his role at Inverclyde Academy, Larry works with young people from Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq and Ukraine and helps them explore different career pathways.

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Larry said: "The world of work is volatile and the young people may experience challenges in their working lives.

"We work together and learn how to adapt to changes. 

"It's a really rewarding job.

"I work with people who have experienced a lot of trauma and had their lives turned upside down."

Larry's colleagues at the West Blackhall Street base help New Scots families who have settled here.

He added: "It can be a really confusing time for families who have fled desperate situations but we help people find answers. 

"We look at their qualifications and see how they match up to roles here. 

"We do everything we can to help families create a life here in Inverclyde.