Norbert Bichl, Recognition of qualifications which have been acquired abroad Projects and experiences from Vienna/Austria OPEN DAYS Workshop 07C11, October 7th 2008, Brussels

Vienna has Austria‘s largest share of migrants Significant change in the educational structure of immigrated persons during the past decade Job-related potential of migrants is scarcely exploited Employment in branches which are rather low- salaried, rather in small and medium enterprises, rather in seasonal jobs Acquired education is only partially recognized Frequently jobs below the educational level in spite of a good education Norbert Bichl,

Migrants frequently lack  the knowledge about –the “rules of the game“ on the Austrian labour market; –occupational fields and qualification profiles which deviate from those of their country of origin; –(continuing) education opportunities, their eligibility for funding as well as requirements for access.  Lacking networks on the private or informal labour market. Norbert Bichl,

Lacking recognition of qualifications Formal recognition involves numerous hurdles Information deficit and demand in the case of multipliers The labour market does not consider the obtained educational achievements, but only the last employment Discrimination Norbert Bichl,

Within the context of the European Community initiative EQUAL several very important Viennese actors of the sectors migration, vocational education and labour market dealt with the topic “Recognition of the qualifications of migrants”. Norbert Bichl,

A variety of projects was created Mentoring for qualified migrants (“Opening the glass door“) Development and testing of new foreign language materials Development of information blocks and workshops for multipliers Training course for migrants in order to become trainers in the labour market and educational context Testing of e-learning elements for migrants Documentary film: “Migration as an opportunity“ Norbert Bichl,

Recognition and further educational counselling centre  for new immigrants since summer 2007 sponsor-independent and individual counselling concerning formal educational achievements which have been obtained abroad multilingual Norbert Bichl,

Support for integration and the establishment of residency in Vienna  For new immigrants as of October 1st 2008  Family members Initial coaching in the mother tongue Viennese Education Card Informative events concerning relevant topics – health, education, living, languages, labour market, accreditation and continuing education counselling centre Norbert Bichl,

Next steps Expansion and further development of integrative employment and education projects Acceptance of the acquired qualifications on a wide scale Alteration of the legal framework conditions and practices during the recognition of formal qualifications Consideration and recognition of practical experience and employment in the career studied Setting up of decentralized and independent “competence/validation centres“ – acquired qualifications, competences which have been acquired in a formal or informal way !?! Boundaries of a municipal or regional employment and integration policy !?! Norbert Bichl,

“I believe that a job which matches one‘s own abilities represents a very important element for integration …“ Maria Teresa Gallardo Cordial thanks for your attention! Norbert Bichl, The accreditation and continuing education centre for new immigrants is sponsored by the funds of the municipal department 17 (city of Vienna), the European Social Fund and the Vienna Employment Promotion Fund: