IMPACT - Integrating Migrants through the Provision of Adaptability and Competence Training

The IMPACT project aimed to address the high levels of unemployment and underemployment amongst particular groups of third-country nationals in the EU, by focussing on developing methods that would enable officials and staff in mainstream public employment services:

• to better understand the needs of third-country nationals, and
• to become familiar with helpful approaches that can be used to support third-country nationals' social and vocational integration.

The work was carried out in co-operation with the local authorities and key stakeholders in Vienna, Bavaria, Groningen, Turin and Leicester. The project partners used their expertise to build the capacity and competences of mainstream practitioners, to promote inclusive practices and positively impact on third country nationals' access, participation and progression in appropriate learning and employment opportunities.

Project co-financed from the European Integration Fund Community Actions programme of the European Commission.

The project was delivered in five phases:

1. Initial research was undertaken to establish the numbers and characteristics, including the employment situation, of third-country nationals in the five localities. 

2. Partners engaged in a wide range of activities to:

• promote the project;
• engage with key local stakeholders to share their experiences of the issues;
• recruit employment advisors to take part in the project; and
• recruit migrants who were third-country nationals to take part in the project.

3. Using their expertise, partners worked with employment advisors and migrants to demonstrate skills audit and skills validation methods. 

4. Based on the feedback received from the employment advisors and migrants partner organisations, training programmes for staff involved in employment support were developed and piloted in each country.

5. A training resource for use in EU countries was developed bringing together experiences and case studies from the five localities.

The target groups of this project were:

• Employment/career advisors and career support practitioners and their managers
• Migrants who are third-country nationals

Initial research was carried out in all five locations of the project. 

71  employment advisors and other officials participated in demonstration activities and benefited from training in methods for skill audit and validation of third- country nationals.

250  third-country nationals had their skills assessed.  As a result they have received information, advice and support in accessing a range of training and employment opportunities. 

93 employment advisors received training based on the draft materials developed by the project and provided feedback that has informed the final version of Advising third-country nationals: A training resource for EU employment and careers services.

A national seminar to disseminate the findings of the project in the UK and the IMPACT project training resource was held in Birmingham in Feb 2010.

The project published a training resource for public employment agencies and local/regional authorities in EU countries  featuring case studies of third-country nationals who have benefited directly from the project. 

Documents
	Advising third-country nationals: A training resource for EU Employment and Careers Services
	Advising third-country nationals: A training resource for EU Employment and Careers Services GERMAN VERSION
	IMPACT project training resource (UK)

Web Links
	Beratungszentrum für Migranten und Migrantinnen
	Tür an Tür
	EuroQualità Soc. Coop
	Gemeente Groningen, Afdeling Sociale Zaken en Welzijn

The project has developed the following recommendations as a result of the transnational co-operation

For national governments

1. To introduce recognition and validation systems for migrants and others whose education, training and work experience has been gained outside the EU

2. Review the work of NARICs to ensure that they are meeting the needs of third country nationals.

3. Provide a legal right to the validation of qualifications and skills

4. Establish regional assessment and validation centres

5. Provide guidance, advice and 'top up' learning opportunities to update qualifications and skills gained outside the EU

6. Remove the legal barriers that prevent newly arrived, legally resident third country nationals from gaining access to employment and training services; simplify the eligibility requirements and provide clear guidance to public services dealing with third country nationals

For employment services

1. Provide an early opportunity for third country nationals to receive information and guidance about the national labour market, the skills and qualifications required for professional integration and how they can plan to find employment.

2. Ensure that employment advisers receive training in:

• Intercultural competences
• Understanding discrimination and stereotyping
• Eligibility criteria that relates to migrants
• How to use NARIC and other validation and equivalency services that exist
• Skills auditing and CV preparation with third country nationals

3.  Allow more time for advisers to assess third country nationals' skills, opportunities and barriers and to be more flexible in the job-seeking services offered

4. Provide some information in the most common languages of third country nationals

5.  Provide some specialist services and staff with greater knowledge of the backgrounds of third country nationals and careers guidance for them

6. Establish or gain access to existing assessment services to test vocational skills

7. Promote and benefit from a culturally diverse workforce

For employers and their organisations

1. Ensure that occupational standards and requirements are clear so that the skills and qualifications of third country nationals can be assessed alongside the specified standards

2.  Provide work experience opportunities for third country nationals to enable them to demonstrate their skills and where necessary link this with training provision and vocational language learning

For City and Regional governments

1.  Monitor the nationality of migrants, their access to local services and progress in the labour market to identify where services should be adapted to meet the needs

2. Provide information in appropriate ways about employment and training services

3. Highlight the needs of particular groups such as third country national women, who have less access to resources, including time, for career development

4. Support the work of NGOs working with migrants to encourage social and economic integration

For the EU

1. Facilitate the establishment of a European network of Employment Services and labour market institutions that can share information about migration, employment, education and training

2.  Develop a common source of information for prospective migrants from third countries to enable them to understand the methods of assessment of skills and qualifications used in EU countries for their labour markets before they leave their own countries

3.  Systematically seek more information about the situation of third country nationals living in the EU in relation to their employment status, education and training

4.  Ensure that in introducing the European Qualification Framework(which includes the validation of non-formal and informal learning within National Qualification Frameworks), that qualifications and learning acquired outside the EU are included

By improving the capacity of mainstream employment support providers, the project has contributed to the improvement of engagement and provision of services they provide to third-country nationals.   Improved services make a positive impact on the opportunities for the third-country nationals who have taken part in the project and has a potential to offer similar support to other migrants.  This will be limited by the national level policies and practice that constrain employment advisers and managers to fully implement methodologies developed by the project.  The project has developed a set of policy recommendations designed to address these issues. 

The project provides evidence that policies which provide opportunities for migrants to have their skills recognised and to access employment  which enables them to use and further develop their skills are beneficial for migrants themselves and the EU economy and supports positive economic and social integration.  

Jane Watts
jane.watts@niace.org.uk
NIACE, 21 De Montfort Street, Leicester, LE1 7GE