Page 57 - valuing-diversity-guidance-for-labour-market-integration-of-migrants

Valuing diversity: guidance for labour market integration of migrants

choices, supporting the transition from training to work, and
preventing/remediating educational disengagement.
Guidance can help in the prevention of early dropouts by identifying risk
factors and using approaches with parental involvement. They can also assist
pedagogical adjustments to cultural characteristics by assessing learning styles.
Student ownership and interest in their educational tracks can be promoted
through assessment of potential, interests and aspirations. Mentoring and
sampling of occupations can be promoted, to support reflexive vocational
decision-making and successful learning.
Assessment also plays a fundamental role in the recovery of early dropouts,
once they are tracked. Relevant work experience and knowledge acquired during
the period outside formal learning can be assessed and validated, contributing
towards a qualification. Guidance can also help students regain interest in
training and education and make more personally relevant and informed choices.
CMS development can be especially promoted among these students and
coherent personal career development plans can be devised with the help of
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counsellors ( ).
Other relevant guidance activities aim to increase migrant youth
employability: job shadowing of professionals, preferably with migrant
ascendancy who can also act as mentors/role models; reliable information about
occupations/vacancies; support in finding internships and relevant professional
networks; and job fairs. Guidance can also help students in finding less
conventional paths to work, such as entrepreneurship, by assessing their
entrepreneurial profile and providing advice and mentorship on start-up.
The wider the gap between education and training providers and an
individual’s culture and networks, the most likely it is that he/she will disengage
from education and training. This is affected by diverse factors, such as the
degree of cultural proximity between countries, the age of arrival in the country or
the sociocultural background of parents. Much of the work with youth relies on
bridging culturally-based perceptions of career and expressions of self in
learning. Counselling may play a very strong role in these activities, confronting
self and hetero-stereotyping and promoting more aware career decision-making.
Resource to migrant role models and mentoring are frequent techniques in these
activities, which acquire particular importance for the deconstruction of gender
stereotypes (for both boys and girls) in choosing life-roles. Youth interventions
are often made through career education, more than through counselling, with

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( ) The ‘youth reach’ programme in Ireland is a good example.
http://www.youthreach.ie/aatopmenu/AboutYR/about.html [accessed 18.3.2014].

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