How can public employment services contribute to strengthening the social and labour inclusion of people with a migrant background?
The exchange between Italy and Poland, organized within the mutual learning activities of IMMERSED, represented an important opportunity for institutions working to promote participation, equal opportunities and access to the labour market.
Two experiences in comparison
Last June, in Palermo, as part of the IMMERSED project, a peer-learning session was held to share practices, tools and strategies aimed at strengthening the social and labour market inclusion of people from migrant backgrounds.
One of the most significant moments of the meeting was the institutional exchange, organised by CESIE ETS, between the Palermo and Monreale Employment Centre – Service XII of the Sicilian Region and the Katowice (Poland) Voivodeship Regional Employment Centre. This provided a concrete opportunity for mutual learning between two public employment services committed to tackling common challenges through complementary approaches.
The Italian experience
Giovanni Vindigni, Head of Service XII – Palermo and Monreale Employment Centre, presented the role of public employment services in promoting legal employment and labour inclusion, with particular attention to people with a migrant background. The Head of Service, together with officers Dr Annalisa Abruzzo and Dr Emanuela Salvo, took part in the exchange hosted at CESIE ETS premises.
The experiences presented included:
- cooperation with dedicated support services for people with a migrant background;
- actions to combat undeclared work, labour exploitation and illegal recruitment practices developed within the SUPREME 2 project;
- employment pathways promoted in collaboration with the Ministry of Labour and Sviluppo Lavoro Italia;
- the future collaboration with the HER CARE project (AMIF), starting next September, aimed at supporting the labour inclusion of migrant women in the home-care sector.
The Polish experience
Damian Łukasik, Deputy Director of the Regional Labour Office of Katowice, presented the approach adopted in the Silesian region to support access to employment and social participation.
The services provided include:
- career guidance and training opportunities;
- Polish language courses focused on employment needs;
- psychological and legal support;
- activities aimed at preventing discrimination;
- cooperation networks among institutions working to promote the inclusion of people with a migrant background.
The value of mutual learning
The discussion confirmed that dialogue between institutions is a practical tool for strengthening public employment services and developing solutions that can be replicated in various European contexts.
Sharing experiences, tools and challenges helps to strengthen the capacity of public administrations to promote inclusion, participation and equal opportunities in the labour market. At the same time, it fosters the creation of collaborative networks that can continue to generate value even beyond individual discussions.
As part of this process, IMMERSED continues to promote cooperation between civil society organisations, public bodies and employment services, utilising the exchange of experiences as a lever to develop increasingly effective policies and practices in support of the social and labour market inclusion of people with a migrant background.
About IMMERSED
IMMERSED – Ensuring employment sustainability and financial resilience through a multi-layered model of well-being and immersion for Ukrainian Refugees in local communities is a project founded by ESF+ Social Innovation+ Initiative.
Partners
- Fundacja Innowacja i Wiedza (Poland, coordinator)
- Clovek V Ohrozeni (Slovakia)
- CESIE ETS (Italy)
- HEKS/EPER Switzerland (Romania)
For more information
Read more about the project. Visit the website immersed4work.org. Follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram.
Contact Giulia De Santis: giulia.desantis@cesie.org.
