The Event Industry, EI is one of the most dynamic, fast-growing and innovative industry in Europe. Next to skilled people there is a lot of aides which find their employment in this labor market. The branche is an international and multicultural working environment. Thererfore, a structured and pragmatic approach should be developed within this project, to provide a quick jump start into employment for the targeted people with an immigrant background.The project "employment and integration of foreign workers, refugees and immigrants in the event industry" should contribute to the European refugee and integration issues and in the context of EI to the topics "integration and employment" endeavor. It addressed primarily and specifically one of the four common European strategy and targets Europe 2020, to address the challenges in education and training systems, actively deals with the topic "Integration and Employment". Thus a solution shall be developed, which enables integration into employment in English language. The project has a priority aim to develop a quick and workable solution to the employment problems of refugees. For this purpose it is planned to work out appropriate tools (for example, for non-formal validation of skills) or thematic priorities regarding integration (culture, law, society) engage in active measures and to promote the national language skills in the course of employment.In a first step, the consortium aims to identify and analyse the conditions in the partner countries, about the possible employment of the target group (IO1). The involvement of and cooperation with public bodies is targeted at any project phase. Three levels are taken into account within the project:1.) Competence assessment (IO2) and preparation for the labor market (IO3): many people from the target group are not able to provide any qualifications or certificates. Thererfore it is important to assess in a first step, what are the person's skills. To capture the individual situation on a fast and effecitve level, a tool shall be developed (IO2). Also for preparation for the labor market, the refugees need to be brought up to the regional, cultural and social conditions. Thererfore, an appropriate educational program needs to be developed (IO3), supported by the use of new media tools and according to the future work area, based on basic matters of knowledge, a minimum language comprehension and knowledge of the German language including technical terms in the relevant field.2.) Technology support (IO5): international studies have shown that the integration of new media works perfectly in environments with a high mixing proportion of foreign labor (immigrants, refugees, etc.), especially when adressing information about dangerous locations and the understanding of important signs, mostly by using visualizations and so called pictograms, in an international and culturally understandable form. At industrial workplaces, for example, workers on the assembly line get information by the help of Augmented Reality (AR) applications, which demonstrate first the full activity process as describtion. Within the project it is planned to carry out a study in which a prototype is developed with AR accompanying incorporation process at work, to analyze the use of new media and their effect in the environment of "informal learning".3.) The employment process itself: based on a "supported employment" approach potential employers shall be supported by a tool (IO4), which enables to integrate the people in a team-based work environment (team coaching approach).Finally, the effectiveness of the whole activity and the developed tools will be proved in a testing phase. The participants from the target group and workplaced at interested companies from the event industry will be merged. Within one testrun (period of several months) they will be guided and observed by the consortium. The findings, results and recommendations will be shared in form of a report (IO6), containing recommendations and released at the end of the 3-year project period. One aim of the project is, to sustainably extend access to the products and results of the project, and furthermore to provide recommendations from the activity experience in the project towards other branches and sectors.
The project "employment and integration of foreign workers, migrants and refugees in the event industry" [Event Industry Integration] is a contribution to resolving the issue of integration of European refugees by promoting equal opportunities, social cohesion and active citizenship. At the core of the project is the problem-focused response to the challenges posed by education and training systems. The European events industry is a dynamic, fast growing and innovative industry. In addition to many unskilled workers, qualified specialists are also in great demand on the labour market. A structured and pragmatic approach has been developed for this international and multicultural working environment in order to create a quick start into employment and a basis for sustainable integration for those people with a migration background. The project consortium unites experts in the field of integration and inclusion (ÖSB Consulting, Austria), specialists in the field of media and augmented reality based training and learning applications (i-smARt, Liechtenstein), university research and development competence (ITU, Denmark) as well as representatives and decision makers in the European event industry (EVVC e.V. and VPLT e.V., Germany). In addition to this working group, there was in-depth cooperation with stakeholders from the event industry, such as employers, managers and decision-makers, integrated educational institutions, chambers of commerce and lecturers, both in the development process and in the creation of alliances with public authorities, as well as with individuals and organisations from the fields of migration consultancy, labour market integration, placement and employment. In order to develop a practical solution for the employment problems of refugees and migrants, the following tools and practical resources were developed from the project. Tools for assessing and validating competence: which serve a transparent recognition process, as well as the utilization of key competences within the target group. The tools make it possible to assess existing competences with a view to the future workplace and actual employment in the event sector. The multi-stage evaluation includes not only the survey of personal interests but also social, personal, technical and methodological competences. Curriculum for vocational integration for training providers: Primarily serves to prepare participants for entry into a vocational activity. The contents and aspects to be taken into account in the course of integration and employment activities, to be conveyed and implemented within an accompanying training action are described; in addition, an orientation on the scope of services and basis for the design of the learning and teaching activities of the training action are described. Toolbox Diversity Management for companies employing political refugees: Provides answers to the question of how to successfully integrate political refugees into the company. The toolbox can be used by all companies for which the employment of political refugees is an issue, either because they are taking them in for the first time or because they generally want to improve employee cooperation within the company. Augmented Reality Learning and Training Applications [Apps]: The two Augmented Reality based prototypes of the "Who am I" and "Wishing Table" apps primarily support the informal learning process of the user. The apps, including the explanation video, can be freely accessed and used. The concrete integration and employment activity were designed and successfully implemented with the help of the tools developed. In this active test phase, the effectiveness of the tools was assessed and evaluated. Participants from the target group and interested companies were brought together through the activity and accompanied and supported by the consortium in an observation phase of several months. The results and findings have been published and discussed in the form of numerous events, publications and digital channels. Under the newly created branding "step2mice", the project is highly relevant and accepted across industry and national borders [step2mice.eu]. A practical guide "step2mice – Sieben Schritte zur Integration und Beschäftigung" summarises recommendations, supports the adaptation of measures and tools and confirms the sustainable impact of the project. But most importantly: "step2mice" offers the target group an above-average chance of continued employment and a permanent apprenticeship or job.