Based on the Lisbon Recognition Convention (1997), and following the UNESCO Global Education Monitoring Report (2015-2016), the Paris Declaration (2016) and the Council of Europe’s Action Plan on Building Inclusive Societies (2016-2019), project “Welkom – Recognition of Qualifications held by Refugees” is an answer to the growing needs for social, economic and educational integration of the refugees fleeing to the European countries during the last few years. The main objective of “Welkom” is to empower refugees who hold skills and qualifications from their countries of origin and to help them integrate to the host countries through training activities in Belgium, Greece, Iceland, Italy and Sweden. The project commences with primary research that will lead to the preparation of assessment reports and to the implementation of the necessary activities in each context for the recognition of the qualifications held by refugees. Meanwhile, training courses and learning activities will be developed focusing on the enhancement of the language skills and overall awareness of the target groups. These training schemes and related events, such as workshops that will take place for career guidance, will provide participants with the information and tools needed to succeed in their new environment, whether this is a continuation of their studies, or entering the European labour market. Last but not least, the project will network with external VET organizations and HEIs, and will prepare and present a benchmark analysis paper on the recognition of foreign diplomas of refugees, migrants and people in refugee-like situations, in order to open the path for the development of a common European policy and rules regarding such procedures. At least 100 refugees will be directly involved in the 5 participating countries, at least 50 VET organizations and HEIs will be connected and many teachers and trainers will participate as experts. The project’s results will be a helpful step and will contribute to the development of educational plans and national strategies in the field of refugees’ recognition of qualifications, their education and further social integration. The project will also aim at the improvement of the teachers’ pedagogical skills, as well as at strengthening the partners’ and the national authorities’ capacities to plan and manage such initiatives. Finally, the cooperation between various VET and HEI actors will add value to the project’s research outputs and to the exchange of best practices, which will contribute to wider transnational impact and sustainability of the project’s results.
Based on the Lisbon Recognition Convention (1997), and following the UNESCO Global Education Monitoring Report (2015-2016), the Paris Declaration (2016) and the Council of Europe’s Action Plan on Building Inclusive Societies (2016-2019), the response to the refugees’ crisis was planned to be implemented based on 3 main pillars; the first and most important was the pillar of Education which stresses that focus should be given on (1) Language skills as an engine for integration, (2) Recognizing qualifications held by migrants and refugees, (3) Access to education for migrant and refugee children and young people. Taking all this under account, project “WELKOM – Recognition of Qualifications held by Refugees” was developed as an answer to the growing needs for social, economic and educational integration of the refugees fleeing to the European countries during the last few years, who are estimated to more than 4 million (registered) refugees from Syria alone, with 400.000 of them in the age group of 18-24 (5% with access to higher education) and 2 million in the age group of 24 to 40 (40% with University education). In this regard, the main objective of “WELKOM” has been to support refugees who hold skills and qualifications from their countries of origin, as well as to empower institutions that work with refugees’ education and recognition, in order to help them integrate into the host countries’ labour market, namely in Belgium, Greece, Iceland, Italy and Sweden. The project included primary research activities, and expert inputs received through targeted questionnaires, all of which led us to develop a roadmap of tools and methodologies for the recognition of the qualifications held by refugees, and to suggest an alignment of education systems and processes in and outside the EU. Furthermore, career guidance workshops with the direct participation of 116 refugees were organized, 5000 innovative brochures with external to the project information were printed and disseminated to the target groups, while the “WELKOM” Network was established with 28 relevant to the project’s cause organization from across Europe, in order to sustain, use and lobby for the project’s results going forward. Therefore, the results of “WELKOM” have been a helpful step and contribute to the development of educational plans and national strategies in the field of refugees’ recognition of qualifications, as well as to their much needed language learning, leading to their further social integration through inclusion in work and education. “WELKOM” has also achieved to add value to teachers’, trainers’ and educators’ available material, as well as to strengthen the partners’ capacity to plan and implement such activities in the present and in the future.