Title: Intercultural Competence Training for Trainers and Advisors in the Field of Professional Orientation [INT.COMP]

Project type: Leonardo da Vinci – pilot project
Ref. no.: 2006 – A/06/B/F/PP-158.305 

Promoter/coordinator: BERUFSFÖRDERUNGSINSTITUT WIEN, AT

(Vocational Training Institute Wien)

Duration: 2 years
Actual stage: finalised, with the Final Report approved by the European Commission

Total value of the Contract: 377.777 Euros

Total value for the University of Pitesti: 25.090 Euros

Summary:

Migration is not a new phenomenon for Europe. It is a growing and permanent part of Europe’s future. Immigrants are a disadvantaged group on the European labour market and professional (re-) integration of immigrants is a major challenge. The focus of the (re-) integration policy of immigrants can be found in active labour market measures, in particular in the field of professional orientation. Because of the lack of interculturally competent staff in this field it is not possible to utilise these services and resources properly and intercultural competencies move into the centre of interest (European Commission, 2004). An adequate consultancy of immigrants leads to a further integration and professional potential will be gained. The project aims to contribute to Europeans lifelong learning strategy and has a focus on the development as well as updating of key competences of the target group (Commission, 2005).

Target group: Trainers and advisers in the field of active labour market measures, especially in professional orientation, like advisers in career guidance, social workers and contact persons to enterprises.

Beneficiaries: The main group of beneficiaries of the project results of INT.COMP are unemployed immigrants, one of the most disadvantaged groups in the labour market. Organisations, institutions and social services because they can make their services more accessible to immigrants and enterprises because they get an idea of the diversity concept.

Expected outputs:

In the frame of the project INT.COMP we will develop an innovative training in the field of professional orientation to meet specific needs for trainers, advisers, social workers and contact persons to enterprises. We will develop a training programme, training materials, a database and a handbook.

• The training programme will be structured on a modular basis divided into face to face- and blended learning units and a work project. Contents are a soft skill training (conflict management, communication skills, interview training, gender and diversity), hard skill training (European migration, nationals specific information) and a project work divided into a research (interviews with immigrants) and a self-perception phase. This additional qualification will strengthen the dialogue between trainers, advisers, social workers and participants in training as well as the work of contact persons to enterprises. It will optimise the personal advise of services and the interdisciplinary communication between all the participants that are involved in the process of (re-) integration.
  • · Development of training material and a training manual
  • Design of an ”immigrant interview guideline” for the project work
• Establishment and implementation of a database for history on European migration and nationally specific information as well as the handbook for all persons who work with immigrants.
  • Handbook of a collection of life worlds of immigrants
  • Implementation of the pilot course
  • CD-Rom for training programme, training material and manual as well as the handbook.
  • Web portal to present all results to partners as well as to the public.
  • Certificate proving the successful pilot course examination.

Partnership:

1. Berufsförderungsinstitut Wien (bfi Wien) , AT - co-ordinator

2. FIM-NewLearning, DE

3. Ente Bilaterale Veneto (EBV), IT

4. CESCOT Veneto, IT

5. Kauno Technologijos Universitetas, LT

6. University of Jyvaskyla, FI

7. Sociedade Portuguesa de Inovacao (SPI), PT

8. University of Pite?ti, RO

9. Careers Bradford (as part of Careers Europen), UK