European Conference Maastricht Vocational training for asylum seekers: effects & methods Collaboration between Crucial Partners Panel 3

Conceptual Framework EQUAL  EQUAL has brought a change in EU - promotion policy: Net- working as a pre-condition for promotion  EQUAL requires the networking of strategic and operational partners  Their co-operation is formalised in Development Partnerships (DP’s)  Within EQUAL there is the sub-topic of Asylum Seekers with about 40 Development partnerships throughout the Union

Scope of Practice in the 5 DP’s  All projects belong to Development Partnerships  Some are organized in a top-down way (BTW, ENEAS, HIT)  The others (JobShop, SEPA) from bottom-up  The two approaches have effects on scope of method testing, mainstreaming, sustainability, target group orientation

DP JobShop, Austria, a Regional Project Mr. K. Burger  Partners:  Overall Coordination: Refugee Coordination Department of the Province of Tyrol  Operative: Caritas: Mobile Counselling; Institute for Vocational Training bfi: Language & Vocational Training; Austrian Society for Emergency Psychology (ÖGNP): Psychological Service  Strategic: Land of People - Tyrol, Austrian Federation of Trade Unions – Executive Division for the Province of Tyrol (ÖGB), Tyrolean Chamber of Commerce (WKO), Employment Exchange (AMS)  Achievements:  Close co-operation between partners  Regular meetings and information exchange  Psychological support for partners  Future:  Use the network in the future for the benefit of asylum seekers

DP ENEAS, Spain, a National Project Mrs. M. Hernández Encabo  Partners:  Strategic: 4 Refugee Reception Centres (State Secretariat of Immigration and Emigration); 3 NGO´s: CEAR, ACCEM, Red Cross  Operative: No partners as DP members. Great amount of collaborations with private/public organisations and others  Achievements:  National collaboration/ coordination and network among all organisations concerning capacity building of asylum seekers  Future:  Continuing the collaboration during EQUAL II phase in order to develop the collaboration to a higher level  After the EQUAL II phase continuation of existing collaboration

DP Back to Work, NL a Regional Project Mr. C. Oosterveld  Partners:  Strategic: Reception asylum seekers, COA; Municipalities, VGG; Province of Groningen; Trade Union, FNV; Employers, MKB;Association of refugees, VON  Operative: Vocational training, Alfa-college  Achievements:  Collaboration and tuning between COA and Municipalities  Collaboration and tuning COA and Educational Institutes  Future:  Continuing collaboration with Educational Institutes on lower, secondary and higher level  Collaboration with the department Care and Welfare of the Province with the scope on training of asylum seekers

DP HIT, Netherlands, a Regional Project Mr. M. Maussen  Partners:  Strategic: Reception asylum seekers, COA; Municipalities; Employers Organisation LWV and LOZO; Trade Union FNV; Province of Limburg  Operative: No partners in the DP  Achievements:  Strategic partnership prevents financial conflict of interest  Stakeholders united  Development takes place in regular structures  Future:  No Equal, no collaboration

DP SEPA, Germany, a Regional Project Mrs. A. Warnking  Partners:  Strategic: Ministry of Education, Ministry of Women Labour Health an Social Affairs, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Sport, Trade Chamber of Saarland  Operative: Welfare Organisations, Caritas, DRK LV Saarland; Training, KEB, AWO; Research institutes, AGEF Saar, ISOPLAN  Achievements:  Avoided duplication of activities on strategic and operative level by focussing on an integrated programme  Linking training institutes and psycho-social counselling services  Future:  Continuing the collaboration under conditions of EQUAL II phase

Trans-national Co-operation  Partners:  ECASE: JobShop, Back To Work, ENEAS  RAISE: SEPA, HIT  Achievements:  Acquaintance with and comparison of policies and implementation procedures for Asylum Seekers in EU countries  Dissemination of results on an European level  Future:  In 2006 the second conference on vocational training for asylum seekers in the EU

General Statements  The new policy to promote only Development Partnerships seems to be more effective – in national and trans-national cooperation  DP’s following the top-down approach are more in line with Government policy  DP’s following the bottom-up approach can within the defined working area operate independently – partly in opposition to Government policy  Through both types of collaboration integrated programmes for asylum seekers can be created  Continuing collaboration is only possible by funding of EQUAL and/or Government

Political Conclusions  Acceptance of the thematic field Asylum Seekers will only be possible when policy makers on local, regional, national and European level do co-operate in Development Partnerships, with non-governmental organisations  Without structural support from the local, regional, national and European level, DP’s cannot perform effectively  Trans-national co-operation should feed policy makers from the EU, in order to implement trans-national results in European policy

European Conference Maastricht Vocational training for asylum seekers: effects & methods Collaboration between Crucial Partners Panel 3