Drive for Poles to make most of enterprise

Feb 20 2008 by Karen Dent, The Journal

Polish workers visiting the North East are not only happy to stay but want to set up business here. Karen Dent finds out more about this latest boost to the region’s enterprise culture.

POLISH migrants working in Britain tend to be stereotyped in two ways: the low-skilled but industrious worker employed in a poorly-paid job, or the Polish plumber undercutting his UK counterpart.

Both images may contain an element of truth but neither shows the complete picture – that many Poles arrive in the North East with skills, qualifications and talents which could have long-term economic benefits for the region.

“It’s a migrant community that’s predominantly young, it’s well- educated and motivated to work. They want to improve their lives. They have an entrepreneurial and highly-skilled side. The North East is missing a trick if it doesn’t take advantage of them,” said Tom Cosh, former head of economic development at Newcastle City Council, who is working on an initiative to help Polish entrepreneurs set up in business.

The Expertbiz (www.expertbiz.co.uk) project – currently at the discussion stage and seeking funding – aims to work as a consultancy with the public sector to help migrant Poles find business opportunities.

However, he says they still face a problem of perception: “Employers are particularly interested in focusing on the lower end of the Polish population, that’s the wrong approach to take. There is a perception of hard workers with low-end skills. There are a lot of people with graduate and diploma-level skills,” said Mr Cosh.

Migrant Polish workers started coming to the North East in large numbers in 2004, when the ‘A8’ countries – the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Poland – joined the EU.

Poles make up more than 70% of local A8 workers, but according to Ian Fitzgerald, from Newcastle University’s school of the built environment, the figure is low compared to other regions. His analysis of statistics from the Worker Registration Scheme (WRS) shows that 7,825 A8 workers had signed up to the initiative up to September 2007 , but he admits accurate figures are difficult to obtain. The WRS is voluntary and there is no requirement to de-register when someone leaves the UK.

The majority of Poles working in the region are under 34, and they use the internet as an important communi- cation tool, Mr Fitzgerald said, adding: “The North has the highest number of Polish language websites in the UK. We’ve got six or so which are related to towns and cities.”

Polska Chata (www.polskachata. co.uk) was set up in 2005 by Przemyslaw Kenar to contact other Polish people when he moved from London to North Shields. The Polish language site, which attracts 1.5m hits a month, works with UK organisations to provide information about practicalities such as housing, employment and education for Poles in the region and those considering coming here.

“Nearly half of our users are from Poland. They’re asking questions and getting answers,” said website editor Katarzyna Bobrzak, who moved to the UK 15 years ago. “It’s a real link between Poland and England. Not long ago, people were packing their bags and just coming over.”

Ryszard Piecuch, who came to Newcastle in 2004 to improve his English after losing out on a job in Warsaw, set up the nc.to.pl website for similar reasons.

He said: “I want to give as much information as possible about everything, to make life for newcomers much easier. I did not have such a chance, so the first months here were very expensive.”

Graham Woodford, who researched enterprise among migrant groups for a report by the Banks of the Wear consultancy, believes many Poles arriving in the UK are entrepreneurial by nature.

He said: “They’re aspirational. They have a fairly open mind. They come here and they see opportunities. They’re very capable people.”

The report, drawn up for One NorthEast (ONE), discovered many Poles thought the UK had less red tape so they considered it easier to set up a business.

However, accessing finance and business advice was often a problem, although those arriving now find it easier than those who came in 2004.

“There’s a lot of help there if you can find it. People who were among the first wave found it more difficult,” Mr Woodford said. “It’s common to see businesses that initially service their own communities, and then they go outside to the wider community.”

Some well-educated Poles look to self-employment because they can only find low-level jobs, as British employers often do not know which Polish qualifications are equivalent to UK ones. Migrants interviewed by the Banks of the Wear said this was a major issue and many found that re-qualifying under the UK system was no guarantee of employment in their field of expertise.

“They’re recognised as hardworking and have identified and filled certain niches where we’re short,” said Andy Collier, responsible for attracting and retaining talented people in the region for One NorthEast. “We’re very conscious about under-employment with people arriving and not making their contribution at the appropriate level.”

Ryszard Piecuch agrees that finding appropriate-level employment is difficult. He now works for an education company in addition to running the ncl.to.pl website, but although he worked in the advertising and financial sectors in Poland, he initially took lower-skilled work when he arrived in Newcastle. However, he is impressed with the business support available here.

He said: “Business Link is fantastic idea. On my first meeting Business Link explained and answered all the questions about business in the UK for me. Poland has much more bureaucracy and it is much more expensive for small businesses.”

Newcastle University is also looking to provide a course to help Polish migrants keen to set up construction firms, and help is also available from Enterprising Newcastle and Financial Inclusion Newcastle.

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Factfile

The current wave of Polish migration began in May 2004.

More than 70% of migrant workers in the North East are Polish.

Almost 8,000 Poles signed up to the region’s Worker Registration Scheme by September 2007.

74% of Eastern European workers in the North East are aged 18-34.

More than 80% work as factory operatives, kitchen or cleaning staff in the region.

Page 2: Polish people who have settled here think a lot about starting a business