Refugee and host countries face numerous challenges in accessing quality training and decent jobs, which often lead to under-utilization of their skills, lack of employment opportunities, and often exploitation of workers. Education and training are key to making people employable, thereby allowing them to gain access to decent work and to escape poverty. Strengthening of skill systems will result in alignment of skills development with skills in demand.
Skills profiling can help assess refugee and host community skills and needs and can then together with market assessment inform the design of new training programmes, bridging courses, remedial education or job readiness training.
Effective skills training courses provide relevant vocational and technical skills to both refugees and host communities, and mainstream core skills for employability, workplace learning, awareness of labour rights, occupational safety and health, and career guidance into training programmes.
Skills recognition services, post training support and active labour market programmes (ALMPs) offer a package of support services including job-search assistance and career counselling that are crucial to enhance employability and facilitate transitions to decent work.
Apprenticeship
Given that apprentices learn in real work contexts at the workplace, apprenticeship programmes are an effective means both for promoting local labour market integration and favouring contact and social cohesion between refugee and host community workers. If the quality of informal apprenticeships is improved and the skills acquired are recognized, upgraded informal apprenticeships can also support the labour market integration of refugees and host communities.
In the forced displacement scenarios, the ILO focuses on improving informal apprenticeships to the benefit of host communities and refugees so that upgraded quality apprenticeships contribute to local economic development. PROSPECTS focuses on improving public-private partnerships, by upgrading informal apprenticeship practices, or by introducing quality apprenticeships with formal employers as a combination of on-the-job training and classroom-based education.
Recognition to prior learning
The fact that refugees possess significant skills based on prior learning or experience is often neglected. This results in the large number of overqualified, frustrated refugee workers as well as economic inefficiencies, as there is often demand for semi-skilled workers in sectors in which national citizens are reluctant to work. Many refugees find it challenging to obtain recognition of their skills and experience, certifications, and professional degrees – in part because of their difficulty to provide proper documentation or because of language barriers.
An effective and efficient strategy to reduce the costs of hosting and integrating FDPs has been the recognition of their qualifications and prior learning. The Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) process can help these individuals acquire a formal qualification that matches their knowledge and skills, and thereby contributes to improving their employability, mobility, lifelong learning, self-esteem, and transition to formality. PROSPECTS works with its constituents and with private partners to enhance the employability of refugee and host community through recognition of skills and prior learning. The programme undertakes assessment, certification and even supports awarding of qualification based on country relevant competency standards and learning outcomes
