The Diploma that Will Make a Difference, Obtained through the „Second Chance Program” | REF Romania
Romeo’s life has changed completely. From a minimum-wage job he used to do abroad, nowadays, Romeo can choose between two different professions: waiter-chef or professional driver.
All of this is possible due to his strong will to finish the ten-year mandatory education and due to the „Second Chance Program” (SCP)*, which gave him the opportunity to fulfil his dream. When the SCP of REF Romania began, Romeo Moldovan had only finished the first seven years of schooling. Now, he is about to finish the tenth.
Romeo Moldovan moved to the village ‘Beica de Jos’ in Reghin seven years ago. He learnt about this opportunity in 2021, but because he failed to enrol in time, Romeo had to wait for another year to start classes. Meanwhile, tired of commuting to work in Reghin, Romeo chose to go to Germany. For several months, he worked at a slaughterhouse, loading chickens into trucks. Of course, wherever he got hired, he always received the minimum wage because he did not have a degree. Of this small amount, Romeo had always sent some of the money home to his family. He lived with the rest as best as he could, from one month to the next.
Now, that he is about to finish his studies, Romeo confirms that this program, both the theoretical part, such as Romanian language, mathematics or geography, and the practical part, helped him grow a lot.
During his practical classes in Reghin, which take place at the Technological High School „Ioan Bojor”, Romeo learns how to set up tables, to serve, and to socialize with customers. He is aware that the city of Reghin can provide him more chances of employment than the village Beica de Jos.
„ The program is helpful because at the end I will receive a chef diploma. With this diploma, I no longer have to go abroad to work”. And even if he goes abroad, with that diploma he can find a much better paid job.
Looking back at the two years of study, Romeo feels that many things have changed for him. „I would recommend the program to other schools, for all vulnerable people who do not have the financial opportunity to develop”.
Driving School, a Dream Come True
Recently, Romeo got behind the wheel for the first time. He admits that he felt a little stressed in the driving school car. „ I was focusing a lot so as not to go left or right or how to change gears”. The journey from the fears of a beginner to the day of the exam draws to an end, as there are only a few lessons left, and Romeo is trying to find a solution to learn the legislation.
He likes the idea of becoming a professional driver, but he does not want to give up on the idea of working in the hospitality industry, a specialty in which he will obtain a diploma at the end of the program. „ The driving license helps me move from point A to point B, while the chef diploma helps me get hired here in Romania on a higher salary than the minimum, and I will not have to go abroad to find work”.
Currently, Romeo is attending school to obtain the 10-year compulsory education degree, is taking driving lessons and, if a friend happens to call him to work, he gladly accepts it. After all, he lives in a commune with many fruit trees and the producers always need people to load the goods. „ And I go.” Sometimes, he also works in construction, if needed.
For Romeo, Family Comes First
His greatest desire is to stay as close and as long as possible to his family. He has a twin brother and a sister. He has recently moved into a house with his wife and daughter. His daughter is the one who motivates him and who helped him understand how important it is to have an education, to be able to have a better life, to become, as he says, „ the column of the house”.
„ I would like to be able to send her to school to learn and find her way in life, like old people say: ‘I hope my children get to have what I didn’t.’
His twin brother helps him a lot because he already has a driving license and, when they are together, he always questions him about traffic signs and priority in traffic.
„We are a good family. We’re used to being there for each other”, says Romeo. His parents adopted six other children abandoned by someone from their extended family. One of the reasons why the family chose to move from Reghin to Beica de Jos is that these six children needed a safer environment. His mother committed to taking care of them, and his father cannot do physically demanding jobs because of spinal problems. „We move forward as we can. We have to move forward. ”
