Validating Integration Competences of refugees Erasmus Project

Project Title

Validating Integration Competences of refugees

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 2017

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Integration of refugees; Quality Improvement Institutions and/or methods (incl. school development); Migrants’ issues

Project Summary

After the arrival of hundreds of thousands refugees since 2015, Europe has been faced with the task to integrate those refugees with a legal title to stay. In main entry countries (Greece, Italy) and major host countries (Germany, Austria, France) there are a number of different educational offers in place which aim at easing refugees and immigrants’ pathways to integration into the labour market and society in large. They aim at increasing the competence of refugees and immigrants to integrate into the European host societies. However, there is no common, precise and operational definition of this “integration competence”. Neither is the effectiveness of integration programmes measured or their impact on individual integration competence assessed.

This was the starting point of VIC: The VIC consortium analysed the varying objectives of integration programmes across Europe in order to distil from them an operational working definition of “integration competence”. Due to the heterogeneity of educational offers and a lack of a description of their learning outcomes and aspired competences, it was difficult to derive a common definition, though. Thus, the consortium began its development programme with an explanatory approach to what integration means: integration is understood as a two-way process and can best be summarised as “learning to live together in a diverse society”. This guided the further development and defined the “integration competence”.
The VIC partners identified a set of 14 competences needed to live together peacefully in diverse societies. These are among others: networking, communication, intercultural competences, flexibility, social engagement, critical thinking, reliability, etc.
Building on solid and valuable experience gained with a scientifically developed competence validation methodology called LEVEL5 the VIC partners developed a competence framework consisting of reference systems for each of the sub-competences. The reference systems are based on a three-dimensional model which maps the development of:
• Knowledge (-> cognitions)
• Skills (-> actions) and
• Attitudes (-> emotions and values)
along five quality levels – from beginner to competent expert.

Based on the competence framework the consortium established a competence oriented learning and validation approach for integration competences. This comprises an approach which does not only convey knowledge but also considers capabilities and attitudes as other competence dimensions in the learning offers and takes on board the principles of constructive, activity related and practical learning.
Partners developed a training course aimed to support educators to plan, deliver and evaluate innovative integration learning activities and eventually to validate the integration competences developed in these learning offers. The course consists of four modules:
M1 – Introduction to the VIC approach: context, challenges, current policy and approaches
M2 – Competence oriented learning and validation, competence framework, introduction to LEVEL5
M3 – Planning and delivering integration learning activities based on the VIC approach
M4 – Competence validation
The modules are accessible via the VIC Moodle platform and are available in all partner languages + English.

During the piloting phase (12/18-06/19), the course was tested by all partners involving 90 adult educators and 200 refugees. The adult educators implemented concrete learning projects in their training programmes to apply their newly acquired knowledge into practice. Competences of both trainers and learners were validated by means of LEVEL5.
Feedback showed that a majority of educators had never before validated integration competences. They reported that it made a valuable contribution to the self-assessment and further individual competence development of their learners and helped them to reflect on their competences in terms of integrating into the society and being an active citizen.

In a nutshell, the main outputs are:
– A competence framework, defining “integration competence” and tailoring the LEVEL5 system to the promotion and validation of that competence
– A blended learning course for adult educators
– A feasibility and impact report highlighting the experiences gained in implementing VIC
– Case studies demonstrating how integration competence can concretely be enhanced and validated with the VIC approach
– An assessment methodology which makes the impact of educational programmes visible

In general, through VIC refugees receive more systematic and more targeted support of their integration competence development, and a certification which may help in the labour market on the one hand, and boost their confidence and motivation for integration, on the other hand.

The partners have implemented the VIC outputs in their work and have a vivid interest in continuing the European collaboration in future project and common activities.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 227960 Eur

Project Coordinator

DEUTSCHER VOLKSHOCHSCHUL-VERBAND EV & Country: DE

Project Partners

• ARISTOTELIO PANEPISTIMIO THESSALONIKIS
• BUPNET BILDUNG UND PROJEKT NETZWERKGMBH
• DIE BERATER UNTERNEHMENSBERATUNGS GESELLSCHAFT MBH
• ENAIP NET IMPRESA SOCIALE SOCIETA CONSORTILE SRL
• EUROCIRCLE ASSOCIATION