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Valuing diversity: guidance for labour market integration of migrants

The fact that the study focuses on a specific dimension of integration, in a
system – the labour market – does not remove the need to account for social and
cultural aspects. Social constructs and culture play a major role in the
understanding of how individuals grow, become professionals and family
providers, as well as in the understanding of what is career success or the way of
ending a career. One of the major aspects in achieving integration is bridging
culturally-based concepts and valuations in a successful way. The role of
guidance activities is largely to enable this bridging, so that people can make
career choices which are consistent, motivated and make sense for each person.
Many of the activities address the integration processes of arriving
individuals and their families. This study also includes analysis of guidance
activities in services which are also provided for resident immigrants and their
descendants, such as activation for women or school-based counselling for at-
risk groups and ethnic minorities.
Within the EU framework, guidance is viewed as an important tool of
integration policy, due to the strategic part that it can play in providing
information, skills and competences that support cultural, social and economic
integration. To ensure that guidance services across Europe are holistic and
dynamic in assisting workers and learners, the European Council approved two
resolutions in 2004 and 2008, which establish policy priorities for the
development of lifelong and life-wide guidance systems; these include support to
at-risk groups and migrants. To strengthen the development of the policy
priorities, the Commission has established the ELGPN within the open method of
coordination with the Member States. Cedefop cooperates with the European
Commission and the network.
The 2008 resolution defines guidance as services that assist people to make
better education, training and career choices. Activities developed under the
scope of guidance services help people identify and reflect about their values,
interests, skills and qualifications, as well as obtain information on labour market
conditions and available education and training paths. Guidance activities also
help individuals gain awareness of the value of their experiences and how they
can make them visible to the labour market through validation.
To ensure support for EU citizens’ career transitions throughout their lives
(lifelong) and in all relevant contexts (life-wide), the resolution also defines priority
areas for policy development:
(a) encourage the lifelong acquisition of CMS;
(b) aid access for all citizens to guidance services (including immigrants);
(c) develop quality assurance in guidance provision;
(d) encourage coordination and cooperation among the various national
regional and local stakeholders.

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