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Valuing diversity: guidance for labour market integration of migrants

provided by teachers; and in employment services, in local administration or
other providers like social partner organisations or other non-governmental
organisations.
These services are frequently under different policy strategies and
hierarchies, and have access to different, non-shared resources. It is important to
know which of them are targeting or are in contact with migrant populations.
Mapping providers and the support they offer can help to understand how best to
coordinate their efforts and resources.
Effective coordination is essential, not only across ministries but also
between levels of administration in federal states and countries with regional
autonomy. Regions are often responsible for integration, so policy coordination
must account for regional competence and specificities.
Coordination of services is important for not only newcomers but also for the
resident population with migrant background with integration needs. For example,
sound actions to prevent or remedy disengagement of youth from education and
training require cooperation between education and training authorities and
providers, guidance and employment services, employers and trade unions.
Establishing successful apprenticeships, mentoring and job-sampling, for
instance, will depend on effective coordination and cooperation.
Good cooperation is more likely where public authorities show clear
commitment to integrating immigrants. The commitment generates political
goodwill across policy fields and dedicated resources, which is important for
sustaining quality guidance for migrants. A practical example is the OSS model
with its underlying cooperative process, which has proven successful in countries
with clear public commitment.

8.1.2. Cooperation with businesses and social partners
Engagement of employers and trade unions is fundamental for successful
guidance policy coordination. Employers can play different roles by acting as
mentors, role models, connecting to tutors and offering work placements, job
sampling opportunities and other forms of training adjusted to the needs of the
migrants. Employers also assist admission and integration services in defining
priorities in terms of skills needs in different economic sectors and occupations
and the volume of migration flow. This information has a direct effect on how
guidance services can support arriving immigrants, as it indicates in which areas
there will be high demand for validation and recognition procedures and training.
For SMEs, which have limited resources, good coordination mechanisms via
public employment services and representative associations are essential to
ensure that the integration of foreign labour is a smooth and inexpensive process

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