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From Afghanistan to Italy, the story of Sajad and his journey within our ICT team

From Afghanistan to Italy, the story of Sajad and his journey within our ICT team

Sayed Sajad Hosseini arrived in Italy with his family in December 2021, after fleeing from persecution by the Taliban. The 26-year-old, born in Herat, with a degree in Computer Engineering from Kabul University, has now been living in Italy for two and a half years and was hired by our Group in 2023 as part of the Global ICT team. Today Sajad is a full-stack developer contributing to various projects in digitalization and system development to manage power grid maintenance, a key asset in our Strategic Plan.

 

“After the arrival of the Taliban, we had to leave our Country because it wasn’t safe for us to stay there. I graduated from Kabul University and I worked as a PHP developer for two years at an Afghan company. During my career path, I took several training and specialization courses in the field of computer science and programming since I am very passionate about this sector.”

 

This passion for computers led the young Afghan engineer to a boot camp experience with Powercoders, the first “Coding Academy” (computer programming academy) for refugees. Powercoders was founded in Switzerland in 2017, and has since expanded to include Italy thanks to the collaboration between our People and Organization team, UNHCR (the Un Refugee Agency), and other Italian partners. The boot camp offered 25 male and female students, of 14 different nationalities, an intensive and specialized training free of charge.

 

“I learned about Powercoders through an Afghan friend with whom I arrived together to Italy. I was curious so I did some research and found it very interesting, so I decided to participate as well. I had the opportunity to develop and deepen several key skills in the computer field science and programming. I gained new knowledge in modern technologies and frameworks that I had not had the opportunity to explore thoroughly in Afghanistan. Another key aspect was networking, as I came into contact with IT professionals, former program participants now working in leading companies and experienced mentors.”

 

After the completion of this experience, which enriched Sajad’s technical skills and better prepared him to enter the job market in Italy, our P&O team offered him a six-month internship. At the end of the internship, our Group hired him with a permanent contract.

“Embarking on this career adventure at Enel brought a mix of emotions for me. After completing the boot camp, and receiving the news of the internship offer, I felt extremely excited and grateful. It was a validation of my commitment and passion for computer science and programming.

 

During my internship, I was able to work on interesting projects and learn from more experienced colleagues. Every day was an opportunity to gain new skills and prove my worth. When they offered me the chance to continue my journey at Enel with an employment contract, I felt proud and motivated to do my best to contribute to the company’s success and continue to grow in my role.”

 

World Refugee Day was the perfect opportunity to celebrate this journey that had such a happy ending. During an event held on June 19, at the Luiss Guido Carli campus in Rome, UNHCR awarded our Group the “Welcome. Working for refugee integration” award, which was received by our head of People and Organization, Elisabetta Colacchia, for our commitment to supporting the Powercoders project as well as being a company that has distinguished itself in fostering inclusion and job placement for people benefitting from international refugee protection.

 

“Fostering pathways to work and not just social integration for refugees strengthens the ability of our communities and the companies involved to ‘include’,” said Colacchia. “This is a recognition of a model of inclusion that represents social innovation and a virtuous example of partnership between companies, NGOs, foundations and institutions.”

Promoting inclusive and sustainable economic growth and fostering real job opportunities, also for those who are most disadvantaged, is a core value of our Group. We take an integrated approach where each strategy aims to trigger transversal benefits and facilitates the collective progress of society as a whole, so that no one is left behind.

 

“The recognition that Enel received from UNHCR has great value to me. It represents a strong message of commitment and social responsibility by the company towards refugees and vulnerable communities,” Sajad concluded. “Knowing that I work for a company that not only recognizes but actively supports the integration and wellbeing of those who, like me, had to leave their countries due to conflict fills me with pride.”