Training opportunities, skills assessment and recognition
Training opportunities, skills assessment and recognition
Are you a refugee looking to build new skills?
These resources could help with training, upskilling or reskilling:
Coursera for Refugees | Transforming Lives Through Learning
Skills to Succeed Academy (s2sacademy.com)
Specific, technical, language and vocational training and upskilling courses, as well as apprenticeship and internship opportunities to help you acquire work experience, can be searched for on country platform websites.
Skills assessment and recognition
Because they often leave their countries in a hurry, refugees are not always able to bring all their diplomas and certificates. Many are also unable to access the institutions in their host countries that issued their documents. Furthermore, due to problems or delays with recognition of their qualifications, skills and work experience in their countries of asylum, many refugees end up unemployed or underemployed. Many highly skilled refugees are working in low-skilled, temporary and badly paid jobs. This is a loss not only for the affected persons, but also the host societies and their economies.
The below resources include tools and guidance that apply at a regional level. Information on country specific skills assessment and recognition procedures should be consulted on National Employment Platforms.
EU Skills Profile Tool for Third Country Nationals
The EU Skills Profile Tool for Third Country Nationals services assist people in their integration process, such as public employment services or NGOs, use this tool in an interview situation to produce a profile of an individual’s skills and experience as a basis for personalised advice on further steps, e.g. a referral to recognition of diplomas, skills validation, further training or employment support services:
Skills Profile (europa.eu)
EU Skills Profile Tool in Ukrainian
European Qualifications Passport for Refugees
The European Qualifications Passport for Refugees is a standardized document that explains the qualifications a refugee is likely to have based on the available evidence. Although this document does not constitute a formal recognition act, it summarizes and presents available information on the applicant’s educational level, work experience and language proficiency.
Applicants need to create an account on the EQPR IT Platform in order to proceed to the EQPR assessment.
Common terms used on recognition of learning outcomes
Accreditation: Process of quality assurance through which an education has been approved by the relevant legislative or professional authorities by having met predetermined standards.
Assessment: Process of appraising knowledge, know-how, skills and/or competencies of an individual against predefined criteria (learning expectations, measurement of learning outcomes). Assessment is typically followed by validation and certification.
Certification: Process of issuing a certificate, diploma or title of learning outcomes formally attesting that a set of learning outcomes acquired by an individual have been assessed and validated by a competent body against a predefined standard.
Qualification: Formal outcome (certificate, diploma, or title) of an assessment and validation process which is obtained when a competent body determines that an individual has achieved learning outcomes to given standards and/or possesses the necessary competencies to do a job in a specific area of work. A qualification confers official recognition of the value of learning outcomes in the labor market and in education and training. A qualification can be a legal entitlement to practice a trade.
Recognition of prior learning: Identifying, documenting, assessing and certifying (mainly) non-formal and informal learning outcomes according to standards used in formal education and training.
Validation: Confirmation by a competent body that learning outcomes (knowledge, skills, and competences) acquired by an individual in a formal, non-formal or informal setting have been assessed against predefined criteria and are compliant with the requirements of a validation standard. Validation typically leads to certification.
Sources: European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (CEDEFOP), UNESCO
Please consider donating today
Your gift can help protect someone forced to flee their home due to conflict or persecution.