1. Landesarbeitsgemeinschaft für politisch-kulturelle Bildung in Brandenburg e. V.
Report on current validation practices to establish informal and non-formal acquired competences of migrants and refugees in Germany 

2. Table of contents Situation in Germany
Competences and qualifications in the European and the German Qualification Frameworks
Determining competences in Germany
Current examples:
Migrationsberatung für erwachsene Zuwanderer – Migration advice for adult immigrants
Early Intervention
Perspektiven für Flüchtlinge – Prospects for Refugees
IQ-Netzwerke – IQ-Networks
Further approaches
Offers of the federals states
Offers of the business and the chambers of commerce and industries
Conclusion and Good-Practise-Approaches

3. 1. Situation in Germany 16,2 millions have a migration background
9,72 % are „foreign“ people
2015 over 2 millions immigrants
Meanwhile least 1,1 million registrated refugees
asylum requests
The real number of refugees should be even higher
still September 2016
ca registrated refugees
asylum requests (for the previous year)

4. European Qualification Framework (EQF)
2. Competences and qualifications in the European and the German Qualification Frameworks
European Qualification Framework (EQF)
Eight levels
Levels 1 and 2 sind are reserved for informelly and non-formal aquiered competences / learning
German Qualification Framework (GQF)
Est. in 2013
The levels 3 to 8 are assigned with qualifications
The levels 1 to 2 are not assigned
It is still unclear what competencies are equal with which qualifications
Further information will follow in 2017
Currently in Germany there is no comparability of informal and non-formal aquired competences within the meaning of the EQF!

5. 3. Determining competences in Germany
In Germany there are numerous approaches aimed at identification of informal and non- formal acquired competences among immigrants and refugees:
So far, pilot projects have been developed and tested, which are parallel to each other and differ:
Question of the concept of competence, the survey method, the presentation of results
Key players are:
Associations of Social Welfare, Employment Agency and Job Centers, federal states, municipal counseling centers,…
Used methods are:
Interviews
Work samples
Further life orientated methods
Currently in Germany there is no single approach that enables informal and non-formal acquired competences among immigrants and refugees to document generally!

6. 4.1. Migration advice for adult immigrants
Performed by the associations of social welfare
Method: Biography orientated interview
Participants: All immigrants, migrants and refugees
Pro
Contra
Starts in the Reception Centers
In many cases, this is the first opportunity for migrants and refugees to validate their skills
The advice is offered in many different languages and creates by this way trust
Questionnaires not aimed specifically at refugees and migrants who have just arrived in Germany. It was created to all immigrants
Primary will be asked for qualifications:
School
Vocational Training, Study,…
Informal and non-formal acquired competences are determined indirectly
Professional activity
Other knowledge
Lack of time prevents an extensive collection of informal and non-formal acquired competences

7. 4.2. Early Intervention Pro Contra Performed by the Employment Agency
Methods: Biography orientated interview with a initial toughts to a practical part
Participants: Migrants and refugees
Pro
Contra
Starts in the Reception Centers
The offer is exclusive for refugees and migrants
Participants with good prospects to stay can already participate during the ongoing asylum procedure
Syria, Iran, Iraq, Somalia und Eritrea
The advise is offered in many different languages
Modelproject from 2014 o 2015
Focus was on finding skilled workers who are needed in Germany, so…
… there was a focus on qualifications
School
Vocational training, study,…
Informal and non-formal acquired competences are determined indirectly
Professional experience
languages
The aim was to collect data in order to provide migrants and refugees easier in the labor market

8. 4.3. Prospects for refugees (PerF)
Performed by educational institutions in order of the Employment Agency
Methods: Interview, practical part, language and integration classes
Participants: migrants and refugees
Pro
Contra
The offer is exclusive for refugees and migrants
Participants with good prospects to stay can already participate during the ongoing asylum procedure
Syrien, Iran, Irak, Somalia und Eritrea
The advise is offered in many different languages
In the interview is space for informal, non-formal acquired competences
In the practical part the participants can prove their skills
In the practical part also more informal, non-formal acquired competencies can be recognized
The practical part will help participants to establish contacts with the labor market, too
Language and integration classes prepare participants for their working life in Germany
Only 6500 places per year nationwide
PerF only performed, when…
Eductional insitutions
Participants
employers in the practical part…
…work together well
Program is in a test phase and its success will evaluate in the future
From discussions we know that the participants also repeatedly exploited by employers as cheap labors in the internship.

9. 4.4. IQ-Netzwerke Pro Contra Federally funded programs
Methods: diverse
Participants: Educational and employment support organizations assisting refugees, chambers, immigration authorities, Employment Agency, Job Center
Pro
Contra
Networking of refugee organizations, nonprofit organizations and government institutions,…
Think-Tank-Charakter
Many locations and participants (in Germany more than 300)
Since 2013 also asks for the recognition of informal, non-formal acquired competences are processed
Developing long-term and future-oriented methods
No single model for the collection of informal, non-formal acquired competences
dominated by theoretical approaches
The majority is also concerned here with a recognition of qualifications and formal learning

10. 5.1. Offers of the federals states
almost every federal state has specific programms and ideas
Methods: different kind of interviews, often orientated on the example of Early interventions
Participants: Migrants and refugees
Pro
Contra
The offers are exclusive for refugees and migrants
Start at the Reception Camps and Welcome Centers
Benefit frequently from the networks with locals actors
Employment Agency
Job Centers
Immigration authorities from the non-profit sector
IQ-Networks,…
Civic commitment
Both, Qualifications and…
….informel and non-formal acquired competences are focused
Many of these programs have a start-up-character
Not in each federal state there are programs established still today
The programs of the federal states distinguished regarding their…
Structure
Methods
Type of competence survey
Implementation of the programs,…

11. 5.2. Offers of the business and the chambers of commerce and industries
Free economy and the chambers of commerce and industries
Methods: Methods for practical determination of competencies of all kinds; interviews, internships,…
Participants: Migrants and refugees
Pro
Contra
German economy strives to give immigrants and fugitives a chance
Innovative and forward-looking approaches to skills assessment will be developed
Aktuell Approaches:
IHK-Action-Programm „Arrive in Germany“
Network „Companies assist refugees“
No uniform, nationwide approach
Unclear who may actually attend
The industry has an interest to seek the "most qualified" immigrants and refugees
So far, only innovative ideas

12. 6. Conclusion and Good-Practise-Approaches
Integration of hundreds of thousands refugees and migrants is a far-reaching challenge for federal, state and local authorities
Currently in Germany there is no single model for the recognition of informal and non-formal aquired competences
Also contributing to this is the current discussion to the levels 1 and 2 of the DQR
Foreign qualifications should be recognized improved easier.
Current measures aimed to incorporate refugees and migrants as quickly as possible in employment- promoting measures (as PERF)
The current measures are primarily designed to people with a high probability to stay in Germany
Scientifically evaluated is currently "Early Intervention", remain to be seen results
In the future, the temporal and spatial capacities of the programs will be to reconsider.
6500 places at PerF and a twelve-week program currently is not enough!
Short: Existing approaches are currently very promising but their qualitative and quantitative reaction is still running very complex and often uncoordinated and also confusing!