09h45-10h00
o Welcome remarks from the Moderator and housekeeping rules
10h00-10h15
o Opening speech by Commissioners Nicolas Schmit and Ylva Johansson (both confirmed)
10h15-11h30
o Opening panel chaired by EMPL D Director Katarina Ivankovic Knezevic with panellists on international trends in integration – with focus on two vulnerable groups women and children and solutions in the area of housing, skills intelligence/language learning tbc; and key evidence-based good practices that emerged from the 5 EaSI supported innovative projects on fast-track innovations of refugees …through use of targeted questions
Panellist 1: OECD key speaker – Thomas Liebig OECD – on international trends in integration of migrants with focus on children, women, Housing solutions. (10 min, in addition to pre-recorded 10-20 min)
Panellist 2: EaSI external evaluator – Armelle Ledan AEIDL – highlights (on their external evaluation) and the lessons learnt of the EaSI projects (5 min, in addition to pre-recorded 10-20 min)
Panellist 3: Speaker (from MS or NGO or SPs) on Housing solutions (5min, in addition to 10-20 min pre-recorded)
Panellist 4: Speaker from MS (AMIF) supported project on labour market integration, ideally with synergies to ESF or national funding at some stage (5 m; in addition to 10-20 min pre-recorded)
Panellist 5: International practice – Olga Stachova MOSAIC, one of the largest settlement non-profit organisations in Canada (5 min, plus 10 min pre-recorded)
Panellist 6: Anila Noor, founder of New Women Connectors (Netherlands). Migrant’s perspective. Member of EC Expert Group on Migration, Asylum and Integration (5 min, if they want pre-recorded message)
Q & A (30 min)
2
11h45-13h00…Three workshops in parallel (the titles to be further adjusted/more appealing)
- Workshop 1: Skills intelligence addressing skills shortages and helping migrants to find employment
Skills intelligence instruments could initiate more effective distribution and matching of migrants on the labour market by pointing to regions experiencing labour shortages. This added value of using skills intelligence in this respect is outlined in the European Skills Agenda (DG EMPL) and in the Talent Partnerships initiative of DG HOME. Cedefop’s big-data powered SkillsOVATE webtool offers detailed and granular information on trends in occupations, sectors and skills in real time. It enables understanding of the skills most demanded by employers and gives insight into national and regional skill trends. Work aimed at exploring how SkillsOVATE insights can be used to provide skills intelligence to Europass portal users is ongoing.
Potential speaker: Cedefop colleague (contact: Michael Horgan, unit B3) - Workshop 2: Finding sustainable housing solutions for migrants
• (…linked to the launch of the European Platform on Combatting Homelessness and the Declaration. The latter acknowledges migrants as a specific vulnerable group at risk of homelessness: ‘We acknowledge, (…) that addressing homelessness requires an understanding of how different groups in communities are impacted, including children, youth, women, single parents and large families, older persons, migrants, ethnic minorities and other vulnerable groups.’)
As regards speakers, we could reach out to the instrument launched by
- the Urban Agenda Partnership on integration of Migrants, the European Migrant Advisory Board (https://www.inclusionpartnership.com/european-migrant-advisory-board), which carried out some relevant research work in 2018-2019. The housing dimension is not covered by the Board’s current actions, but it could still be interesting to hear from the experts on the findings from the recent research.
- or from FEANTSA, which carries out thematic work on homelessness and migration, including a bi-annual newsletter. Migrant homeless are an increasing group among the homeless, but as discussed, there is the issue of undocumented migrants in this group.
- we could consider inviting French authorities to present their project on slum clearance (https://resorption-bidonvilles.beta.gouv.fr/ and https://www.gouvernement.fr/resorption-des-bidonvilles ), adopted in 2018.
- Good practice in the area of housing integration for migrants is also: https://ec.europa.eu/migrant-integration/intpract/empty-houses-for-the-homeless-project-casas-sin-gente-para-gente-sin-casa
- Workshop 3: Increasing the employment opportunities for migrant women
“How to mainstream, upscale and innovate actions on the integration of migrant women into EU labour markets with support of existing tools (e.g. YG, ChG, ESF+, Skills Agenda)”
(…linked to the Action Plan on Integration and Inclusion… Despite efforts in the EU MSs during recent years, significant gaps persist which calls for strengthened policy focus in this area).
Sub-themes then would be for example:
- How to ensure equal access for migrant women to all integration measures?
- How to fight gender stereotypes?
- How to increase refugee women’s participation in integration programs? Do incentives work? (NR, CA, SE)
- Nation-wide strategy? (e.g. DE offers targeted a country-wide module).
- Mentoring and coaching: one-on-one actions or group mentoring?
14h30-15h30… Two workshops in parallel
- Workshop 4: New skills for migrants with the Europass portal and EU good practices
Europass, the European career platform has recently been renewed (as part of the EU Skills Agenda). Learning opportunities are being expanded at the Europass portal. The number of countries that are sharing learning data at the moment in increasing and also other national initiatives are worth mentioning. E.g. for higher education the Studyportals – the Global Study Choice Platform (a specific portal on bachelors and masters). Furthermore, JRC is currently improving their database on Moocs, specifically targeted at migrants and refugees.
A Europass Digital Credentials Infrastructure (EDCI) is being developed to support efficiency and security in how credentials such as qualifications and other learning achievements can be recognised across Europe. This initiative could be very useful for migrants as well. This could then be linked to national developments where digital credentialing will covered by national platforms that also include learning opportunities. - Speakers: tbd (someone from the Europass team), JRC colleague on Moocs, a speaker on other initiatives at the national level.
- Workshop 5: Using education as a driver for the social inclusion of migrant children and their families
“How to improve quality and inclusion for migrant children in ECEC” (to be specified later) and/or
“Schools as effective hubs for the integration for children and their parents”
(…in context of the Child Guarantee/ strategy, perspectives and actions; incl. presentation for example of the ETUCE’s teachers vision on inclusion….
Education is among the most powerful tools for building societies that are more inclusive. Schools have the potential to be real hubs of integration for children and their parents.)
15h30-16h15 - Final panel:
o Closing panel discussion and presentation of the toolkit on the use of EU funds for the integration of people with a migrant background for the period 2021-2027
(EMPL F1 or REGIO speaker)… presentation of the Tool in the context of the RRPs/OPs implementation (10 min), synergies…plus pre-recorded 10-20 min (G1 Marianne)
o Key highlights and conclusions from the five workshops (4 min each clear messages + possibly visual presentation) (20 min)
Closing remarks by EMPL D Director
Background
The Commission presented an Action plan on integration and inclusion 2021-2027 in November 2020 that sets out a framework to step up integration and inclusion policies across the EU and contributes to the broader social inclusion agenda. Among others, it envisages support to mutual learning and highlights actions including in the area of education, skills development and employment. - The suggested Mutual learning conference (MLC) will reflect the priority themes of the Action Plan on Integration and Inclusion as well as EMPL priorities. The objective will be to disseminate key evidence-based innovative practices that have emerged from the EaSI supported experimental projects in an opening panel; then, in five dedicated workshops to exchange the latest information and good practices focused on reducing migrant gender employment gap, improving migrant children inclusion, strengthening migrants’ language skills, skills intelligence and how to effectively involving migrants in policy-making at national or local level.
By disseminating good practices in the integration-related area, the event is also relevant for achieving policy objectives in other areas. For example, in the context of the Action Plan on implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights it would contribute to increasing employment through increasing migrant women employment perspectives. It would help by promoting projects and policies to improve migrant children inclusion that is relevant in the context of the EU Strategy on the Rights of the Child. Finally, it would tackle the themes on migrant skills development related to the implementation of the EU Skills Agenda, or skills intelligence relevant in the context of the upcoming EC initiative on the The Talent Partnership with the third countries. - The MLC will offer the platform for 100-2001 EU MSs policy makers and stakeholders to exchange experience/actions on these topical issues.
The event will be a follow-up of the previous successful events – e.g. the MLC on ‘Innovative approaches to the inclusion of migrants‘ organised in November 2020; and the MLC on ‘Sustainable inclusion of migrants into society and labour market’ organised in April 2019 in cooperation with the SPC, EMCO and the Member States authorities. Both events were highly appreciated by the stakeholders. The reports from these events can be found online on the European website.
The expected outputs of the MLC include a dedicated event website with pre-recorded video/PPPs, five brief thematic reports covering subjects of the workshops, and a self-standing final report with the event’s key outcomes, good practices, and policy recommendations and reference links. Such information and guidance will offer policy guidance for the EU MSs for their integration strategy updates or implementation of the RRPs, ESF+ and other EU funds.