He left his home and family behind in Syria, on his way to a safer place with future prospects. At the end of November 2022, Whbe Yossef, 31 years old, arrived in the Netherlands. With a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and Software Engineering from Syria in his pocket, Whbe spread his wings in our little country. “During the asylum procedure, I went to the Ithaka Academy to prepare for the Dutch labor market,” the techie explains. ”That led me to a valuable eight-month internship at the Amsterdam company Motopp. At Ithaka, I came into contact with Anders Recruitment Services. Thanks to them, I came across Salacia.”
Full working week with a study program on the side
With his asylum status and work permit in hand, Whbe started working at Salacia Solutions on February 1, 2025. Every day he commutes between his home in Leiden and Rotterdam. “At Salacia Solutions I work 40 hours a week, mostly at the office and sometimes at home. I also study Dutch”, Whbe tells us. ”What a big difference in work environment when I compare the Netherlands and Syria. Everything at Salacia is well-structured and the company is very flexible and productive. In Syria I had to deal with many restrictions. It is great fun to work at the office, but working at home is also nice. The fact that I can do both is fantastic.”
Whbe’s integration is going well, he has even become an active member of the CDA in Leiden. He also reads a lot. About the family he left behind in Syria, he says: “My father and mother understand very well that this is better for me. They are very proud of what I am doing. In turn, I support them financially from the Netherlands.”
An immediately challenging assignment
In the role of Back End Engineer, Whbe was able to immediately start a challenging assignment at Salacia. “I started working on the ESG software. It is very challenging and very interesting. The collaboration is great and the support I get from Salacia is heartwarming. Salacia has sparked my interest in sustainability and the environment. You can see the impact that our software product is having in this field. This makes me increasingly curious about everything to do with ESG. It’s great to work on software that allows us to make a positive impact.”
Serious ambitions
We ask Whbe where he would like to be in about five years’ time. He doesn’t need to think about that for long. “In five years’ time, I want to be a Software Architect or Senior Software Engineer. I want to continue to seize the opportunities that come my way and I want to develop myself continuously. Preferably at Salacia Solutions, we are growing so fast that I would like to continue to be a part of that growth. Here in Rotterdam I have found the pleasant, stable work situation that I was so desperately looking for.”
