Practical examples - Adaptability

Lifelong Learning - Supporting Integration of immigrants

G-LOCAL DP, Italy

The DP covers the region of Veneto, which is characterised by strong economic growth and increasing immigration. The project activity is focused on the demand for training, managing a more diverse work force, developing a learning culture in the work place and human resource planning. The development of new training methods and tools adapted to the needs of immigrant workers, employers and training organisations represents the main thrust of the project.

As background for this project, the DP carried out surveys on aspects of migration and related competence flows, to identify innovative actions social integration and work organisation. This activity was coupled with the analysis of social integration processes in the specific context of the Veneto region, supporting the overall aim of implementing vocational training actions and integration activities aimed at migrant workers.

Key activities include scoping approaches to training, workshop structures, developing a database, designing skills audits, the planning of a Competence Centre, and the training and briefing of collaborators and experts. The DP is supporting SMEs in cross-cultural management, through the organisation of workshops and "action learning" interventions, which are in-company seminars for small groups of workers to discuss how models can be adapted and applied. The objective of these interventions is to empower the workers, benefiting the company as a whole.

Another DP activity concerns management training, mainly focused on self-employed immigrants (mostly in the arts and crafts sector). The DP is collaborating with the arts and crafts association of Vicenza, with a focus on informing immigrants of the regulatory framework, conditions and requirements to set up their own business.

As outlined, the DP is also creating a Competence Centre to register skills and competences of immigrants, and also to catalogue demand from employers. This also includes analysing competences within companies and setting up a documentation centre to gather studies on education, training and labour market insertion of immigrants.

The main impacts of DP activity relate to the improved social and vocational integration of immigrants, underpinned by knowledge of specific issues in relation to immigrants, cross-cultural management, globalisation, and governance.

The innovative aspects of DP activities relate to: the "action learning" method for running in-company workshops to ensure that participants are actively involved and empowered, testing and adapting existing models to SMEs and to the Veneto region, and the development of new training methods and tools adapted to the needs of SMEs, immigrants and other specific target groups.

 

DP information
Member State: Italy
DP Identifier: It-It-G-Ven-008
Link to EQUAL database description

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