Training Course Launched to Help Young Migrants Secure Employment

Young migrants feel their approach to communicating and presenting to employers can negatively impact on their employment chances

Young migrants feel their approach to communicating and presenting to employers can negatively impact on their employment chances. That’s according to research that examined the experience of young migrants in Ireland and four other European states.

The research, conducted last year, has culminated in the design of a new online training project aimed at supporting young migrants into employment. The training project was launched last week by the Immigrant Council of Ireland (ICI).

Pathways to Work (www.pathwaystowork.eu) comprises online training courses aimed at young migrants who are in the jobs market.

The courses cover areas such as employment rights, communication skills, and interview techniques.

Pathways to Work was funded by the European Union Leonardo da Vinci initiative, and is aimed at young migrants looking for work in Ireland, the UK, Spain, Italy and Poland. The courses are free of charge, and participants do not need to fulfil any pre-qualification criteria.

Speaking at the launch, Dr Fidele Mutwarasibo, Integration Manager with the ICI, said young immigrants face significant challenges in seeking employment compared to their local counterparts.

“The research* which we conducted to inform the components of the Pathways to Work project showed that young migrants are aware their career chances are negatively impacted because they lack certain skills, or they face attitudinal and administrative barriers,” he said. “Of the 186 people who took part in this research, 66 per cent of them felt they failed to secure jobs because of competition from equally skilled candidates. Bureaucracy, navigating qualification procedures, and communication skills were also identified as significant barriers to securing employment amongst young migrants.”

In the survey, 59 per cent of respondents cited bureaucracy as having negatively impacted on their job search; 58 per cent also noted that the qualification procedure (including the interview and presentation) was a negative experience; while 56 per cent indicated that a lack of communication skills was a barrier to securing a job.

“Ireland’s increasingly tight labour market creates additional constraints for young migrants who are seeking work, or seeking to upgrade to a better job. The Pathways to Work project offers practical support to young migrants which will help them build their self-esteem, develop a high-quality CV, and present well at an interview. By ‘selling’ themselves in the best possible way, young migrants – many of whom are highly skilled and are high academic achievers – should be able to compete fairly with their local counterparts in the jobs market,” said Dr Mutwarasibo.

The Pathways to Work online training resource comprises five modules, each containing up to six courses. The module areas include personal confidence, teamwork and communications, employment rights, career preparations, and job-search / interview skills. Course material includes straightforward information, interactive elements and videos. The modules were developed by experts in employment, training and immigration issues, and in web-based learning technologies.

The Pathyways to Work training has already been piloted in Ireland among a group of ten young migrants.

Speaking about participating in the pilot training programme, Hailuu Netsiyanwa, a 23-year-old Zimbabwean-born Irish resident, said: “Lots of information is available – from various sources – about job-seeking in Ireland. But what’s great about this course is that it makes everything available in one place, and the information and materials are presented in a really clear, interesting and interactive format.

“For migrants, especially, the information available takes account of the fact that Ireland has a range of employment legislation that’s very different from that in most of our countries of origin. As well as that, the information offered on CV and interview preparation is specifically adapted to meet the expectations of Irish or European employers, and that’s something of real benefit to young migrants, as we often grapple with preparing CVs and conducting successful interviews.

“Above all, the course has been helpful in instilling greater confidence in me and my colleagues when it comes to competing for jobs – for which we are well qualified – in the local economy. Too often, it’s been our experience that the jobs we’re offered do not match our academic qualifications or experience levels. By taking part in this course, I hope the playing pitch will be more level when it comes to competing in the labour market,” he said.

*The research, entitled ‘Training Needs of Young Migrants within European Countries’, was published in 2010 and is available here.