Enhancing young migrants’ employability skills through EMPLOY ME project
In recent years, youth unemployment has become a pressing issue among European countries, and with increasing migration to all corners of the globe, the problem is greatly exacerbated. A new social group is forming, made up of young second-generation migrants who face challenges integrating not only into their new societies but also into the highly competitive labor market. On the other hand, from an employer’s perspective, priority is increasingly given to soft employability skills that go beyond technical knowledge. However, the development of these skills is hampered by lack of experience, language barriers, unrecognized qualifications, limited professional contacts and social exclusion.
In response to these challenges, the EMPLOY ME project (https://employ-me.eu/) aims to improve and enhance employability skills of young second-generation migrants through the development of innovative training content. The project is funded by the Erasmus+ Programme and is executed in partnership by 7 organizations from Bulgaria, Belgium, Greece, Spain, Czech Republic, Lithuania and Cyprus. On the Bulgarian side, the project is implemented by Mundus Bulgaria – an NGO with many years of experience in European projects for education and social inclusion.
Below you will find the training materials you can use to increase your competitiveness and labor market integration. All training resources developed are completely free and available in English, Bulgarian, Czech, Lithuanian, Greek, French, and Spanish.
Employability Toolkit
The Employability Toolkit is composed of 10 modules showcasing the 10 most desirable soft skills for today’s labor market – leadership, communication, problem solving, teamwork, etc. Each module is made up of bite-sized lessons that are easy to understand and remember. At the end of each module, users can find a self-assessment quiz, aimed at reinforcing the newly acquired knowledge.
Virtual Academy
The Virtual Academy is an interactive platform where each of the lessons from the Employability Toolkit can be put into practice. Once registered, users get access to gamified exercises to build on what they have learned and monitor their progress. Such exercises can be, for example, how to write a motivational letter, or enhancing decision-making skills and business acumen by guiding a pirate ship to shore.
Toolkit for Youth Workers
The Toolkit for Youth Workers is a guide for youth workers and educators on how they can contribute to tackling the issue of migrant underemployment. It contains all evidence and data collected through the piloting activities of the project, as well as relevant instructions and guidelines, tools and resources that youth workers, VET trainers, and organizations can use to develop the employability skills of young 2nd generation migrants.
Unemployment among young migrants is a pressing issue that exacerbates the challenges of youth unemployment more broadly. And bridging the gap between the skills that employers demand and the ones that jobseekers possess is critical both to individual success and to tackling unemployment more generally. By prioritizing basic employability skills, the EMPLOY ME project not only provides an opportunity to better prepare young professionals for the challenges of the modern work environment, but will ultimately lead to the successful integration of young migrants into the local community and economy.