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Valuing diversity: guidance for labour market integration of migrants

A balance is required within a framework that identifies groups and the
challenges they share, while still focusing on the individual members through a
client-centred approach. The greatest concern is that group identification may
lead to an assimilationist model (Greco, 2007; Sultana, 2011), which defines
migrants as a flawed group which must develop a set of competences to
integrate into the host society. In this type of inclusion approach, guidance acts
as a cultural certification process, focused on work-based socialisation of
immigrants.
The idea of a pluralist approach to inclusion opposes this idea. In its liberal
version, immigrants are perceived as an ethnic minority to be promoted. A
multicultural model acknowledges the problems of immigrants, but fundamentally
understands their unfulfilled potential, and sees diversity as a social and
economic resource. For the purpose of developing such an approach, integration
practices must develop new roles in guidance, such as advocacy of immigrants’
rights, and must allow a type of system innovation that is responsive to
community initiative.

2.2. The added value of guidance for immigrants

Guidance has evolved in the direction of acknowledging cultural difference,
developing methods which account for it; many of these rely on stimulating client’
self-awareness. This, however, is only one aspect of the potential of guidance
methods. Career services can also help individuals deal effectively with new,
unfavourable conditions by developing (often) new roles and activities, beyond
the traditional counselling role (Arthur, 2006), such as social action, advocating
immigrant rights before other organisations, working directly with immigrant
communities.
Atkinson’s (1993) model provides some interesting insights about the
diverse roles that counsellors can assume in the multicultural context to respond
better to client needs. It is suggested that counselling should be responsive to:
(a) problems generated by external causes (such as discrimination or racism)
and not only to problems contained in the inner reality of the client;
(b) established and potential problems, by adopting not only remedial but also
preventive actions;
(c) the degree of acculturation of the immigrant individual/group, adjusting the
type of intervention accordingly.
Dealing with problems generated by external causes is increasingly
important aspect of guidance activities, inviting counsellors to act as advocates,
consultants and agents of change, well beyond the traditional role.

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