Ventilation job became the way into society for Abd

Abd Alrahman Qbiaa moved to Sweden with his family to escape the turmoil in Syria. He found his way into the Swedish society through is job at Milen Ventilation in Gävle. “Abd is a great guy and very skilled ventilation assembler”, says Niklas Ulin, CEO at Milen Ventilation.

He was born and raised in Syria, where he learned the trade of ventilation assembler. He worked in that profession for 14 years there, six of which were as an employee and then eight in his own company, where he had six employees.

As a refugee, he travelled via Egypt, Libya and Italy before arriving in Sollefteå and eventually settling in Skutskär, near Gävle, with his family. He got a tip about finding employment with Milen Ventilation.

“The first time he came here, he knocked on the wrong door. The second time, I wasn’t here. But when Abd showed up the third time, I quickly understood that he was a very skilled, energetic guy. He had the expertise we needed, which is why we hired him,” says Niklas.

Rather quickly, Abd demonstrated that he had high ambitions, both professionally and in his family life, as husband and father. At Milen Ventilation, he quickly was out working at various sites, sometimes together with one of his co-workers, Roger Burman.

Renovation of the City Hall in Gävle was one of the major projects that Abd and Roger worked together on.

“Abd is an incredibly skilled guy who is always dependable and wanting to learn. Language was

a bit of an issue in the beginning, but I noticed right away how enthusiastic he was, wanting to establish himself in the job as quickly as possible. With his background, expertise and personality, he’s been a tremendous asset to the company,” says Roger.

Unlike in Sweden, the ventilation conduits in Syria are not round. The ventilation companies there make their own rectangular conduits, specific to each job. Another difference is that in Syria, ventilation companies only do the installation and other companies are responsible for the design, adjustments and function.

“Abd is a very humble person, who is very enthusiastic. I’m very proud of having employed him and how well it has gone. For a long time, I’ve been wondering about what I could do to help people with a foreign background become integrated in the Swedish society,” says Niklas.