Proud moment for a resident of Tipperary direct provision centre

A Nigerian woman who has set up a recruitment agency in Carrick-on-Suir was praised as a “role model” for residents of the town’s direct provision centre at the official opening of her new company.

The launch of Jomivic Consulting at Stable Lane Enterprise Town House on Carrick-on-Suir’s New Street last Wednesday, September 11 was a proud occasion for its founder Precious Woha.
The mother-of-three has lived with her children in Bridgewater House for the past two years but will soon move to a new home in the community after recently securing asylum status which enables her to continue forging a new life in Ireland.
Ms Woha worked as a carer with Bluebird Care looking after elderly people before spotting a gap in the market for a recruitment agency connecting workers with employers and vice versa.

“Although I was fortunate to have the means to navigate the jobs market with relative ease, I’ve seen many others struggle to access opportunities,” she explained.

Conversations she had with other people, particularly immigrants, revealed a “deep-seated frustration”.
“Despite their eagerness to work, they faced significant barriers, including limited access to job opportunities, due to their location outside of the city and a lack of recognised qualifications.
“These conversations sparked a desire in me to create a solution. I founded Jomivic Consulting to address this pressing need: connecting job seekers from diverse backgrounds, including citizens, immigrants and the Ukrainian community with companies seeking to hire qualified staff.”

Ms Woha said her company aims to foster a “more inclusive” jobs market that recognises the value and potential of all community members.

She envisions her company helping thousands of job seekers, especially those located in counties Tipperary, Waterford and Kilkenny, become gainfully employed over the next few years and helping employers achieve their business goals by providing them with qualified staff.
She said her company has already helped clients to find jobs. Art and design, agriculture, social work, real estate, hospitality, IT, healthcare, manufacturing and production are the wide range of employment areas the company covers.
Assisting Ms Woha in Jomoivic Consulting is staff member Hajan Bahloul, a native of Morocco, who is also a Bridgewater House resident.

Representatives of the Friends of Bridgewater House Committee, which assists the direct provision centre’s residents to integrate with the local community attended the official opening as did representatives of Tipperary County Council, South

Tipperary Development Company, Stable Lane Enterprise Town House and Carrick-on-Suir Business Association, who all wished the company the best of luck.

The honour of cutting the ribbon to open the firm fell to Margo Hayes of Tipperary County Council’s Economic, Community & Rural Development Section, who was involved in developing the Council’s Migrant Integration Strategy.
Precious Woha paid tribute to Bridgewater House Community Liaison Officer Martina Walsh for the support she has given her and Anita Holloway of South Tipperary Development Company for assisting her with devising a business plan.
Martina Walsh said Precious went through tough times to get to where she was now. She was a credit to her three daughters. “It's just lovely to see you do this; you are a a role model to the other residents of Bridgewater house and we are all very proud of you.”