Intra-EU skills-based mobility of adult refugees - Findings of a Cedefop pilot project between Greece and Portugal
English
International organizations
Information is gathered from other international organizations that promote skills development and the transition from education and training to work. The Interagency Group on Technical and Vocational Education and Training (IAG-TVET) was established in 2009 to share research findings, coordinate joint research endeavours, and improve collaboration among organizations working at the international and national levels.
Migrant workers
According to the ILO global estimates on migrant workers, there were around 164 million migrant workers in 2017.
Migrant workers contribute to growth and development in their countries of destination, while countries of origin greatly benefit from their remittances and the skills acquired during their migration experience. Yet, many migrant workers face challenges in accessing quality training and decent jobs including under-utilization of skills, a lack of employment or training opportunities, lack of information, and exploitation of low-skilled workers.
To address these challenges, countries need to strengthen skills anticipation systems to inform migration policies, increase access to education and training, and establish bilateral or multilateral recognition of qualifications and skills.
Recognition and portability of skills
Skills development can be viewed from a life-cycle perspective of building, maintaining and improving competencies and skills. A holistic approach to skills development encompasses the following features: access to good basic education; development of cognitive and core skills, including literacy, numeracy, communication, problem-solving and learning ability; and, availability of continuous training opportunities targeting adult and older workers. Systems to improve recognition of attained skills across occupations, industries and countries improve the employability of workers, reduce labour shortages, and promote good working conditions for migrant workers.
Skills policies and strategies
Skills and employment policies should be viewed together. The full value of one policy set is realized when it supports the objectives of the other. For investments in education and training to yield maximum benefit to workers, enterprises, and economies, countries’ capacities for coordination is critical in three areas: connecting basic education to technical training and then to market entry; ensuring continuous communication between employers and training providers so that training meets the needs and aspirations of workers and enterprises, and integrating skills development policies with industrial, investment, trade, technology, environmental, rural and local development policies.
Case studies and good practices
Case studies that document good practices and illustrate the benefits and lessons learnt of particular approaches or methods in real practice.
Creating labour mobility opportunities, allowing refugees to move legally from first asylum countries to receiving countries based on their skills/qualifications and recipient labour market needs, have the potential to provide beneficiaries with access to a livelihood, ease migratory pressures for countries at the EU external borders and satisfy labour market demands in participating EU countries.
Cedefop’s pilot project showed ways to succeed if the political will to engage in relocation exists. Above all, the project revealed the importance of networks and the necessity to further engage employers in national migration and integration strategies.
Migrant workers
Skills utilization
Europe and Central Asia
