Without no doubt has the current situation of migration and refugee flows brought completely new challenges to the European societies which they never had to deal before in any similar way. At the same time we have to acknowledge that the group of migrants currently entering the European Union as asylum seekers are a very diverse group concerning their education and qualification background. OECD studies show that about 40% of Syrian asylum seekers own a kind of upper secondary degree whereas the Afghan asylum seekers only 12-15% have this kind of qualification. Moreover, and this is certainly different to all experiences from the past, migrants are coming from totally different education systems, labour market conditions, work conditions etc. which are nearly impossible to compare with European standards. In front of this situation it is nearly impossible to simply recognise a certificate or diploma (if available at all), this would unfortunately be the easy and positive exemption. This developments and situation lead to two quite dangerous reaction for the European VET systems and labour markets: a) solutions are built on national level without taking into account European standards and instruments (like EQF and ECVET for recognition)b) approaches are diversified between several organisations (one responsible for recognition, one for training plan, one for guidance, one for labour market insertion, one for work placements etc.) Both trends need to be avoided and lead to the immediate need for a labour market integration model for refugees AND asylum seekers with a positive acceptance perspective which is: - based on European approaches and instruments in competence based VET (ECVET and EQF / NQF)- holistic, combining recognition of prior formal/non-formal/informal learning with language assessment, social assessment and elaboration of an individual, personalised inclusion plan for each person - easy to manage for authorities and carriers- efficient in terms of resources needed and outcome achieved - oriented towards professions and labour market sectors with clear labour demand - accessible for all and oriented towards the principles of equal opportunities.The main objective of the NCNA project is to develop an innovative and target group oriented model for the assessment, validation and recognition of prior experiences and informal learning of refugees and asylum seekers with positive perspective to stay, based on learning outcomes approach and using instruments, credits and descriptors from EQF and above all ECVET. The NCNA model will be European, target group oriented and holistic and is the necessary new solution for the upcoming challenges for the European VET systems as well as labour markets. For this objective the following intellectual outputs are planned: 1) Investigtion study2) NCNA Model Handbook3) NCNA Personalised Labour Market Integration Plan. These three core outputs will be supported by two multiplier events as well as one joint staff training event as learning, teaching or training activity during the project implementation. The partnership consists of highly specialised organisations in the field of VET training, accreditation and recognition of prior learning and experiences, social partners, target group associations, NGOs and public organisations who have all high interest and considerable experiences in the project field and outputs. Partner countries are: AT, DE, FI, IT, HR, SI and UK. The project impact aims at a) refugees and asylum seekers with positive acceptance perspective b) VET institutions, counselling experts, assessment and recognition bodies c) wider stakeholder community of social partners, VET organisations, guidance and counselling institutions, public institutions on local, regional and national level, policy makers and political decision makers.
The large number of refugees who have been coming to Europe since 2014/2015 had Europe face numerous new challenges. One of the major challenges in this area is the integration of the refugees into the European labour market. People currently entering the European Union as refugees and asylum-seekers are a very diverse group in terms of their education and qualification background. OECD studies show that while about 40 % of Syrian asylum-seekers have acquired some kind of upper secondary degree, only up to 15 % of refugees from Afghanistan have a similar qualification. In addition, the refugees are often familiar with education systems and labour market contexts that can hardly be compared with European standards; certificates and diplomas, if they exist, can usually not be recognised in Europe and, often informal and non-formal learning is predominant. In order to avoid national-level solutions that lack the European perspective and overcome approaches where individual services are shielded within numerous institutions and organisations, the NCNA project partnership decided to develop one methodology to fit most purposes when it comes to the labour market integration of refugees. The NCNA partnership found that there was an immediate need for a labour market integration model for refugees and asylum-seekers with a positive perspective to stay in Europe that would (1) be based on European approaches and tools in terms of competence description and measurement in VET (i.e. based on EQF and ECVET criteria); (2) be holistic, thus incorporating the recognition of prior formal/non-formal/informal learning, the foreign-language aspect, a person's social and socio-cultural context, and her/his individual potential development path; (3) be easy to manage for case managers and other adequate staff; (4) be efficient in terms of resources needed and outcome achieved; (5) be directed towards sectors on the labour market with a demand of employees; and (6) be person-centred and of added value to the client. Consequently, the NCNA partnership set out to develop an innovative and holistic European model for the assessment, validation and recognition of prior experiences and informal learning of refugees and asylum-seekers with a positive perspective to stay in Euorpe that would be based on learning outcomes and utilise EQF and ECVET tools and descriptors and that would contribute to coping with the challenges faced by the European VET systems and labour markets. In order to reach this goal, the partnership created the following products: (1) The NCNA Investigation Study shedd some light on the educational background of the target group of refugees and asylum-seekers and provided insight into needs and requirements with regard to assessing prior knowledge, skills and competences from the perspective of both groups the refugees as well as stakeholders from the Eurpean labour market and VET systems. (2) The NCNA Model Handbook contains a comprehensive methodology including all necessary materials and descriptions, checklists, etc. for the implementation of a target group-oriented assessment, validation and recognition procedure for informally acquired skills and competences of refugees and asylum-seekers with a positive perspective to stay in Europe. The focus of the NCNA Model Handbook lies on the sectors of metal, construction, wood, and tourism, all of them regarded sectors with a shortage of employees on the European labour market. For the first time in Europe, 31 job profiles have been harmonised and described in detail on EQF 2, based on ECVET-compfliant learning outcomes. Likewise, the partnership has developed a unique method of assessing knowledge, skills and competences per job. (3) The NCNA PIP Database provides a likewise innovative online tool to record the current situation and plan, view and manage the steps necessary in terms of qualification, development of competences, development of language skills and social integration for a person to move towards full labour markt integration in Europe. Both The NCNA PIP Database as well as the NCNA Handbook were thouroughly piloted and can be used as stand-alone products but, ideally, go hand-in-hand. To support the dissemination and sustainable use and implementation of its products, the NCNA partnership implemented a variety of activities. Amongst others, the project partners created project brochures and a project website (ncna.eu) in all partner languages and, partly, also in Arabic. Furthermore, partners set up a Facebook page and tried to introduce their project through e-mailings, personal talks and visits to conferences and other events. Finally, the NCNA partners organised two multiplier events (one in Florence (IT) and an international one in Graz (AT)), a joint staff training event and an extensive pilot phase to foster implementation in the partner countries. So far, organisations from all partner countries showed great interest in the NCNA products.