Page 149 - valuing-diversity-guidance-for-labour-market-integration-of-migrants

Valuing diversity: guidance for labour market integration of migrants

inserted in networks involving non-profit organisations. This defines a new range
of contents, activities and tasks, at times unfamiliar to guidance practitioners,
such as the knowledge of housing, social protection and labour regulations or the
establishment of direct articulation with other public or private services. The
underlying logic of advocacy is to generate capacity and support the voices and
ambitions of users, rather than generating dependency: individuals and
communities should feel empowered to uphold their rights without depending on
others. One example of advocacy is the support to start-up of firms and
awareness-raising activities developed near firms and institutions by Red
Ariadna, from the Commission for Refugee Aid in in Spain. This confirms that the
target group for integration guidance is not restricted to immigrants but includes
firms, social partners, receiving communities, and schools/VET organisations;
these are the focus of activities which raise awareness of the needs, challenges
and potential of immigrant workers.
Practices to improve the general capabilities of migrant communities exist,
but it is not clear what role guidance plays in them. In many cases, capacity
building is achieved through training of community leaders in normative aspects
of the receiving society: fundamental rights, social security procedures,
information on education and training, and access to residence and work.
Although some of these aspects can support enabling mechanisms for
immigrants developing their careers, the function of guidance (if any is offered) is
frequently undocumented and the development some sort of career education
within the communities is also uncertain. This is an area with a rich potential for
development which is widely unexplored in Europe. The northern German
network for employment integration of immigrants (NOBI), based in Manheim, for
example, attempts to achieve this type of result by professionalising immigrant
organisations.
Guidance has an important role to play in migrant entrepreneurship. Several
practices were identified in which guidance methodologies were successfully
used to promote self-employment and entrepreneurship among immigrant
communities (as with employment of financial immigrants in Greece). These
practices normally rely on two types of support: a component set to assess skills,
entrepreneurial potential/degree of motivation and help clarify a business idea; a
technical support component based on practical advice on building business
plans, dealing with legal issues, finding start-up capital. These programmes can
target women with professional experience or invisible (non-identified)
49
experience and skills ( ).

( ) An interesting case is ABZ – competent for women and businesses.
49
http://www.abzaustria.at/ [accessed 3.4.2014].

139