EMBRACE – ENCHANCEMENT OF MIGRANT ABILITIES AND RECOGNITION OF THEIR ACQUIRED COMPETENCES IN EUROPE

 Why EMBRACE?

Often immigrants arrive to European countries without any documental evidence of their previous studies or professional experience. And even if they possess them they cannot be validated because in EU countries there hardly exist any instruments for the validation and certification of skills and competences of immigrants which hinders their labour market integration.

To fill this gap EMBRACE develops:

• a catalogue of professional profiles and competences needed in the EU and in the agri-foodsector;
• methodological guidelines to recognise and validate competences of citizens coming from third countries, tested on 33 case studies with in the agri-foodsector, but transferable to other contexts;
• a toolkit for counselors and certification operators in order to provide them with a “step by step”guide to support immigrants in their search for a new or better job, through the identification and validation of their non-formal and informal competences and skills.

The main result of the project is a transnational methodology for counselors and trainers working for the labour market integration of migrants to support them with the validation of their non-formal and informal competencies. 

Year(s): 2016-2019

Target group(s): Educators / social workers in the fields of integration of newcomers / newcomers

Website or other online channels: https://www.embraceproject.eu/

Methodology

The methodology of Embrace tools is based on the 5W rule: WHAT: what is the described tool about, WHY: what is the tool used for, WHO: who uses it, that is to say who is in charge of the completion, WHEN: in which phase of the process is the tool used, WHERE: in which context is the tool used and accurately describes each step of the process.

WHAT
The screening interview tool is a list of suggested questions that the trainer/operator could ask during the first meeting to the migrant interested in the validation and certification of his/her formal, non-formal and informal competences.
WHY
The aim of the interview draft is to offer to the trainer/operator a tool for the requirements check of the individual.
WHO
The trainer/operator is responsible for the completion of the tool used during the first meeting.
WHEN
The Pre-screening interview tool is used during the first meeting between the trainer/operator and the individual.
WHERE
The tool is used where the reception meeting between the IVC operator and individual takes place.

PlATFORM
The whole procedure is transferred on an online platform, designed according to the steps that the Identification and Validation path goes through. This is the innovative trait of the Embrace project thanks to which the trainer/operator can manage the validation process in an easy way.
 

Type of product

Paper-based material Online resource Video clips / Films Course / Training

Brief description of the outcomes

1) A catalogue of professional profiles and competences needed in the EU and in the agri-food sector;

2) Methodological guidelines to recognise and validate competences of citizens coming from third countries, tested on 33 case studies within the agri-food sector, but transferable to other contexts;

3) A toolkit for counselors and certification operators in order to provide them with a “step by step” guide to support immigrants in their search for a new or better job, through the identification and validation of their non-formal and informal competences and skills.
 

Impact on target groups / Transferability potential

Main target of the project are the citizens coming from countries outside the EU, recently arrived, often unemployed, waiting for inclusion into the local labour market, holding or not a school degree obtained and/or recognized They directly benefit from the activities of the project, as they are participating in validation and experience certification.
On the other hand EMBRACE has a positive impact on stakeholders. First of all the organizations which are working at the integration of migrants, since the project triggers the activation of a job tutoring program, able to give value to previous experiences and match them with the needs of their field of placement. In the second place the economic bodies of the agribusiness and the social bodies, since the project encourages to rethink about professional needs in terms of competences.
An additional target group, which is an indirect recipient of the project, is represented by the public institutions (responsible for initiatives about formation, work and social cohesion) and the operators working with recruitment (counsellors, trainers, selectors, public operators, professionals), since the project encourages and supports the meeting between demand and supply. These target groups can benefit from the results of the project and innovate the procedures they use in order to improve the quality of their services.
The Toolkit for experts in certification and counselling could be freely adopted and it could be useful for all persons working in the field. The Toolkit includes the instruments for the validation of knowledge, the directions for the methodological approach, relative to a specific target, the certification models for the recognition of competences acquired in non formal and informal contexts, validated at a transnational level.
 

Promoter of the initiative: EN.A.I.P. PIEMONTE with 7 EU partners

Country: Denmark France Germany Italy Netherlands Spain

Languages available: Danish Dutch English French Italian Spanish German

Website or other online channels: https://www.facebook.com/embraceproject.identify.certify.validate/