DiverPass- a guidance for professionals to support migrant learners Erasmus Project

Project Title

DiverPass- a guidance for professionals to support migrant learners

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for adult education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2019

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Inclusion – equity; Civic engagement / responsible citizenship; Migrants’ issues

Project Summary

On a European level, the integration of migrants in their transition in the labour market of the host country has been a main priority for political debate and policy initiatives in a growing number of EU member states. A main concern for professionals in charge to support migrants is to be equipped to address the diversity approach- the profiles of the public they address is more and more diverse.
Professionals with a diverse profiles (in their professional path- social workers, educators, teachers, in their status- paid staff/volunteers, in the territory they are working on- rural/urban territories…) are not well equipped to support migrants themselves also diverse (in age, gender, countries of origin, languages…) to overcome the many obstacles they are faced to in the labour market. In particular professionals need to adapt to diverse demands expressed by their public (migrants) including linguistic, social, professional support but also and above all transversal competences.

The main reasons for preventing migrants from a fair and efficient inclusion in the labour market are mainly: a lack of recognition of their experience including knowledge, competence and skills. It leads to a process of deskilling highly demotivating. Most of the time, it is uneasy for them to be able to justify a relevant working experience in the host country as they work in the “black market” (undeclared) or the work they do is irrelevant with their genuine qualification. The acquisition of the host language is a main obstacle even more difficult with this lack of recognition of their previous knowledge or competence. A vicious circle is easily built –that leads to social and professional exclusion.

A main aim of the DiverPass project is to support the setting up of, an access to, upskilling identifications and screening, learning offers adapted to individual learning needs, recognition of flexible modes of learning and through the validation of skills acquire through informal and non-formal learning on the basis of suggested voluntary activities to migrant learners as relevant professional experience that may open the way to a qualification through a VPL process.

The DiverPass project addresses: professionals/educators with various profiles (paid staff /volunteers, in urban/rural territories, with diverse educative background) working with migrants in order to support them in identifying and acquiring key transversal competences and therefore enhance their transition into the labour market Another public gather migrants with various profiles –low & highly qualified (at least a level of education equivalent to the Baccalauréat), male/female, junior/senior (at least 18 years), all types of status- refugees, asylum seekers, economic migrants, family reunification…) to facilitate the Valuing of Prior Learning (VPL) on the basis of their work experience and skills acquired both in their native countries and in the host country.

The DiverPass project aims at supporting professionals/educators to tackle the following issues: a lack of recognition of qualifications and professional competences of the migrant learners they are working with (reference: Key competences framework, EC, 2006 & 2018) ; a high diversity among migrants in terms of status (administrative diversity), education (levels of education), reasons for migrating (economic, political, family gathering, studies…) ; a high diversity as well in the skills and competences required for professionals especially as they are also diverse in terms of status (volunteers/paid staff) and qualifications (in social work, teaching & training, migration issues…) ; and a lack of relevant training and methodology to combine a formal learning- for instance to assess a linguistic level (Common European framework of reference for Language- CEFR, since 1991) with a non-formal & informal learning (based on a voluntary experience)

To achieve its objectives the DiverPass project intents to design : a training for migrant learners (IO1) to better equip professionals to support migrants in their social and professional integration ; a mentoring for trainers to apply properly this training among professionals with various profiles (paid staff and volunteers)- (IO2) to meet the special issues they are faced to- answering the expectations of public with various profiles ; and a guidance for anyone working with migrants (IO3) in order to enhance a key competence approach taking into account the diversity approach with a focus on diversity and mobility , combining formal, non-formal and informal learning (Bologna process & Copenhagen process).

A main innovation of the DiverPAss is to enhance a relevant competence strategy among both educators and their learners (with migrant background), combining formal/non formal/ informal learning based on a voluntary experience to be expressed in terms of competences- mainly KC2- multilingual competence and KC6- Citizenship competence.

Project Website

http://www.diverpass.eu/

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 187434,7 Eur

Project Coordinator

SECOURS CATHOLIQUE & Country: FR

Project Partners

• HALBA BENEDICTE
• Jovokerek Közhasznú Alapitvany
• Stowarzyszenie Trenerow Organizacji Pozarzadowych
• E.RI.FO.-ENTE DI RICERCA E FORMAZIONE