Page 106 - valuing-diversity-guidance-for-labour-market-integration-of-migrants

Valuing diversity: guidance for labour market integration of migrants

The full range of CMS which can be developed to support migrant
integration potential goes beyond the development of basic literacy and ‘civic’
competence. Many of the skills which can be further developed are within the
European catalogue of lifelong competences, namely in ‘learning to learn’. The
idea of leaning to learn implies many particular skills related to accessing
information autonomously, managing one’s own time, and having an awareness
of one’s own assets, training needs and aspirations.
One way of implementing a comprehensive formative assessment approach
is the adoption of passport or portfolio tools. These can serve as a support for
migrant career development, from the moment of entry, allowing for a register of
skills levels and structured reflection and planning of career development steps.
One of the main advantages of this instrument is its portability, which allows
clients to engage in different services (guidance, vocational training, workplace
training, and validation) with a certified register of their previous steps.
One interesting example of portfolio use comes from France, where the
integration contract, the CAI, serves as a pathway to career development by
proposing comprehensive career assessment and planning. Most immigrants of
working age can benefit from a bilan de compétences in the French immigration
office (OFII), which will aid planning of further steps, leading to successful labour
market integration, such as training, validation of experiences, recognition of
qualifications and informed choice of career paths. The beneficiaries are followed
for up to six months to monitor their labour market integration. The fact that the
CAI is supported by a framework agreement between OFII, the responsible
ministries for immigrant admission and integration, the public employment
service, and professional and employer organisations, aids guidance processes
for all CAI beneficiaries.

4.4. Bridging access and skills development:
assessment and recognition

Assessment activities can help raising the quality of supply-side information in
the labour market, giving more information on the potential and skills needs of
arriving labour. This information, in turn, allows better adjustment of career
development provisions, such as training and guidance, and permits better labour
market matching.
Cedefop research (Cedefop, 2011a) highlights mismatch in overqualification
of highly skilled immigrants, largely attributable to weak signalling of their
(unrecognised) qualifications. Given the fact that many third-country immigrants
arrive with skills and qualifications which are undocumented or not recognised

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