Purpose:
The integration into the labor market is an essential prerequisite for migrants and refugees so that to be capable of building up a new life in their host countries. Within this process, the recognition of their formally but especially their non-formally and informally acquired qualifications and competences is decisive. The SCOUT tools facilitate the recognition of qualifications and competences of migrants by providing counsellors with the means to assess and document those skills.
Stimulus/Rationale:
Many systems, while targeting disadvantaged groups, are not suited to the needs of migrants and refugees, who often need to adapt or upgrade their knowledge and skills to the working standards and culture in the host labor market, especially those who have been unable to work for years due to exile and lengthy asylum procedures. Returning to training to get a degree or certificate could give them access to the labor market but proving their skills in order to do so, can be difficult.
Recognition of qualifications and prior learning is of fundamental importance for those who have crossed a border, whether voluntarily or forcibly. Especially the recognition of learning that is either related to daily life activities such as work, family or leisure and of learning that has not been provided by an education or training institution is of particular significance for migrants. In short, migrants have a huge demand to make informal and non-formal competences visible and documented
Process:
The “SCOUT: aSsessing Competences fOr fUTure” is a European project, coordinated by the “German Institute for Adult Education Leibniz Centre for Lifelong Learning (DIE)“ and funded by the European Commission through the Erasmus+ Programme [KA204 - Strategic Partnerships for adult education) / Project code: 2017-1-DE02-KA204-004194] in six (6) countries (namely Germany, Spain, Sweden, Austria, Slovenia, Greece). SCOUT was implemented by DAFNI Vocational Centre as partner in Patras (Greece) linked with the IC strategy of the city of Patras and also with the local action plan for the integration of migrants.
SCOUT facilitates the recognition of qualifications and competences of migrants by developing a set of tools for counsellors to assess and document those skills. Based on the analysis of competences and with the guidance of counsellors, new migrants will more easily find their way into employment or education that suits their competences best. The global objective of SCOUT thus was to contribute to the “Europe 2020” strategy for an inclusive growth by enhancing labour market participation, skills acquisition, and the fight against poverty.
As a first step, an analysis of the status quo regarding competence assessment for new migrants was conducted in all partner countries. Best practice examples and needs were identified and the results were compiled in a transnational report. The needs analysis informed the development of the SCOUT-toolkit. Here, a comprehensive research on tools for competence assessment for new migrants was conducted in all partner countries. The tools were screened and 20 tools were finally selected and systematically compiled in the SCOUT-toolkit; it is a practicable toolkit for counsellors working with migrants providing instruments for competence assessment that help them access their prior experience on education, training or work. ProfilPASS is the tool for the assessment of migrants competences available in simple language, having a layout with visualization and pictograms. It is part of the SCOUT-toolkit, with a curriculum and a manual which serve as a basis for training counsellors working in adult education. The trained counsellors use the ProfilPASS tool and provide the migrants with an assessment of their competences.
Impact:
The usability of the tools was much appreciated. The migrants profit from them testing, since they obtain help to find out about their competences, identify their short- and long-term goals and create their professional dossier. They confirm that the competence assessment helps them in finding a suitable job, internship or educational program.
Patras emphasized on training the members of migrant associations as counsellors, so that they learn how to use the tools and therefore provide their members with the related assessment.
Furthermore, the tools were also showcased to the employers’ organizations and work federations and they were incorporated into their means of assessment.
All services are provided free of charge and are maintained after the end of the project, attracting ongoing interest since they are regarded as being very useful to the integration process of migrants at the host society.
Remark: The ERASMUS EU program has identified the SCOUT tools as a best practice.
Key reference documents:
https://scout.profilpass-international.eu/index.php?article_id=127&clang=1
