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Valuing diversity: guidance for labour market integration of migrants

(c) how are practitioner skills being developed and assured to meet the needs
of immigrants as well as their cultures and values?
(d) what measures are being implemented to ensure regular monitoring of
guidance activities, their outcomes and the quality of the interventions
implemented?
(e) how can experience from innovative approaches be mainstreamed?
(f) how is at-risk migrant youth being supported in preventing educational
disengagement and in making the transition to the labour market?
(g) up to what point are guidance services effectively promoting validation of the
skills and recognition of the qualifications of the immigrant unemployed?
(h) what activities are proving to be effective in the activation of female
immigrants.

2.1. Definitions and theoretical discussions

2.1.1. Guidance and immigration
Migrations are the movement of people, usually across a political border, with the
purpose of taking permanent or temporary residence in the place of arrival. Semi-
permanent or temporary residence is normally related with the occurrence
seasonal work and circular migration. This study focuses on the migration of non-
European citizens (third countries) to the European space.
Third-country immigrants in Europe migrate for many reasons, the most
common being economic and political. Economic reasons are normally
connected to finding better job and learning opportunities or evading shortages in
fundamental goods (such as food and medicine). Political reasons are frequently
associated with war and ideological persecution due to changes in political
regimes. Although taking into account the latter cases – labour market integration
of asylum seekers and political refugees – greater emphasis is given here to
migration for economic reasons.
The concept of integration adopted in this study reflects the access that
migrant individuals have to receiving countries’ culture, language, systems and
networks. It includes their ability to use such access effectively to live their lives
with minimum welfare, in safety, and to develop themselves as professionals,
community/social agents and more broadly as human beings. It is assumed that
both the immigrant individuals/communities and the receiving society influence
the integration process and that mutual adaptation is likely to be necessary for its
success. This broad definition does not imply a standard measure of integration,
but opens discussion on degrees, strategies and types of integration as well as
their outcomes.

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