Innovation and Inclusion: Presented in Cham the New Results of the Erasmus+ Project INTERC.Lab, Guidelines for accessing the EU Blue Card and dedicated APP
On 23 and 24 May 2024, the fifth transnational meeting of the Erasmus+ INTERC.Lab project was held in Cham, in the headquarters of the German training provider VHS Cham. The meeting brought together the project team composed of partners from different European countries: the training organisation Studio Risorse and the research centre and innovative SME iInformatica, both based in Matera, Italy, the Greek consultancy and guidance company Ison Psychometrica, the Spanish association Innetica and the vocational training centres Academia Formação do Norte, based in Portugal and VHS Cham from Germany.
During the meeting, the final version of the guidelines for accessing the European Blue Card, which is also available in digital format, were presented. Furthermore, the new Job & Intercultural App for accessing the EU Blue Card was tested. This includes an information section for accessing the tool, which contains useful links and a description of the necessary requirements. Additionally, there is a section dedicated to matching job offers and applications, which is aimed at highly qualified migrants seeking employment in Europe.
The INTERC.Lab project is aligned with the priorities set forth by the Erasmus+ 2021 programme, the objectives outlined in the Pact on Migration, the Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda (relating to the reduction of inequalities and the recognition of human rights), and the objectives set by the NEXT Generation EU. The project aims to contribute to the development of a common European system for the management of labour inclusion of migrants from third countries legally residing in the EU, and to the development of a European culture of welcome and solidarity. This will be achieved through the construction and experimentation of educational and intercultural practices addressed to EU employers and migrants.
"Our meeting in Cham represented an important milestone in the INTERC.Lab project. We are proud of the progress made and are confident that the tools developed, such as the new app, will have a significant impact on the labour inclusion of migrants in Europe," said Eva Salomonivà, VHS Cham spokeswoman.
Press review
New tools for the inclusion and development of key skills of migrants: the fourth transnational meeting of the European InterCLab project in Zaragoza
The Erasmus+ InterCLab project continues to make significant progress towards the goal of improving migrants' integration opportunities. The IV transnational project meeting took place on 19 and 20 October 2023 in the picturesque city of Zaragoza, Spain, home of the Spanish partner, INNETICA.
The main objective of the meeting between the partners was to start the testing phase of the third project result: the "Inclusive Workshops for the Development of Key Skills of Migrants". This is an innovative training course that integrates practical in-person workshops and online theoretical lessons, accessible on the new digital e-learning platform, specifically implemented. This activity, which will involve 120 migrants as students and 70 employers as mentors, aims to offer migrants the opportunity to acquire the key skills necessary for their work and social integration in the host countries. “The use of digital tools for training - underlined Arturo J. González Ascaso, general secretary of INNETICA - represents a fundamental element for creating an inclusive and accessible environment for all”.
During the meeting, the action plan for the development of the fourth project result - the Guidelines for the Issuance of the EU Blue Card - was also presented, this aimed at describing the requirements and the procedures required by each Partner Country to enter and to residence for third-country nationals who intend to carry out highly qualified jobs, in line with the provisions of Directive (EU) 2021/1883.
The meeting brought together the consortium which is made up of partners from different European countries: the training institution Studio Risorse, Innovative Informatica, both with offices in Matera (Italy), the Greek orientation society Ison Psychometrics, The Spanish Association INNETICA and the professional training centers Academia Formação do Norte and VHS Cham, with offices respectively in Portugal and Germany. The importance of transnational cooperation in promoting the inclusion of migrants and developing key skills is therefore evident.
The next project activities and future transnational meetings will represent a further opportunity for sharing knowledge and experiences, as well as the opportunity to complete the project results and therefore obtain a positive and wide-ranging impact to promote the inclusion of migrants in Europe.
For further information on the InterCLab project visit the official website https://interclab.eu/ and follow the official social pages on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.
Press review
Best practices and soft skills for migrant integration: a week of training in Matera for Erasmus+ InterClab european project partners
In an increasingly diverse Europe, the integration of migrants has become a key challenge for social cohesion and shared progress. In this context, the Erasmus+ InterClab project, which aims at structuring effective integration practices through the development of key competences of migrants and intercultural competences of employers, held a joint staff training event at the headquarters of lead partner Studio Risorse in Matera from the 19th to the 24th of June.
The training activity is carried out through operational confrontation in the activities covered by the work plan agreed between the various European partners, with the aim of transferring, developing and implementing innovative actions to modernise and renew knowledge transfer systems.
Specifically, during the training days, the team - consisting of the training organisation Studio Risorse, the innovative SME and research Center iInformatica, the Greek company Ison Psychometrica, the Spanish association Innetica and the vocational training centres Academia Formação do Norte and VHS , based in Portugal and Germany respectively - trained and directly tested different ways to develop and apply innovative and gamification-oriented teaching methods for the transfer of intercultural and socio-emotional skills of employers and key and professional skills of migrants.
A week-long training to develop and share best practices through the diverse and transversal skills of the team members. "These moments offer a unique opportunity to share experiences, knowledge and best practices, thus promoting a common and supportive approach to the integration of migrants," said Maria Santarcangelo, Project Manager at Studio Risorse. "Transnational cooperation during training moments such as this allows us to confront and overcome common challenges and adopt synergistic and functional approaches," confirms Antonio Ruoto, Creative Director of the iInformatica research Center.
An important opportunity to learn from others and share experiences, creating an environment of mutual learning and enrichment.
Press review
Erasmus+ InterClab project: training curriculum on intercultural and socio-emotional competences for employers of migrants presented in Porto
The third meeting related to the Erasmus+ InterClab project, which aims to create effective inclusion practices through the development of key competences of migrants and intercultural competences of employers, was held in Porto-Portugal on 27 and 28 April at the offices of AFN (Academia de Formação do Norte).
During the meeting, the project team presented the first version of the training curriculum on intercultural and socio-emotional skills for of migrants’ employers (project deliverable R2). This curriculum responds to the needs of employers and companies to have a structured approach to the integration of migrants into the labour market by providing criteria and standards for training and evaluation methods, and a modular curriculum for the development of intercultural and socio-emotional competences that are strategic in the process of integrating migrants into the labour market.
The program is a "toolbox" available to employers/professionals, based on the results of the first project outcome, with the aim of filling the training gaps identified there. The project has a European partnership consisting of the project coordinator Studio Risorse, Innovative SME from Basilicata iInformatica, the Greek partner Ison Psychometrica, Innetica from Spain, the Portuguese Academia Formação do Norte and the German partner VHS.
Maria Santarcangelo, Project Manager of Studio Risorse S.r.l., said: "InterClab is an important project to promote the inclusion of migrants in the world of work. The training curriculum on intercultural and socio-emotional competences for employers of migrants is a key tool to achieve this goal and to promote a more inclusive and cohesive society".
Maria Santarcangelo, Project Manager of Studio Risorse S.r.l., said: "InterClab is an important project to promote the inclusion of migrants in the world of work. The training curriculum on intercultural and socio-emotional competences for employers of migrants is a key tool to achieve this goal and to promote a more inclusive and supportive society".
The meeting also saw the planning of the implementation of the tailor-made unconventional e-learning platform and related workshops for the development of key competences of migrants by the innovative SME iInformatica in cooperation with the project partners. This platform will enable the acquisition of skills using a game-based learning approach, through the presence of various interactive multimedia tools. In addition, the integration of artificial intelligence modules will allow users to have at their disposal a constantly active humanoid chatbot to support them in the use of the platform and the content functions.
Press review
Erasmus+ meeting in Athens on the topic of innovation in the migrants' inclusion through the Blue card
Important ideas emerge from the second meeting of the Erasmus+ project ‘Interc.lab’ held in Athens on 3 and 4 November, at the institutional headquarters of Ison.
The project sees the European consortium composed of the project coordinator Studio Risorse, the PMI Innovativa from Basilicata iInformatica, Ison Psychometrica, Innetica, Academia Formação do Norte and the German partner VHS.
From the presentation of the results of a survey, that involved 220 respondents, it emerged the importance of addressing and strengthening the following socio-emotional and intercultural skills at a training level for workers in European companies: comparison management, emotional control, diversity management, tolerance, collaboration, empathy, active listening and self-evaluation.
In particular, various training methods were addressed in order to be adapted according to the type of target nation (one for each partner country of the project): Greece, Italy, Germany, Spain, Portugal.
‘It is a real pleasure to coordinate this prestigious and ambitious project that deals with such a complex issue as that of the migrants’ inclusion, through appropriate cross-training to be provided to the workers of European companies in order to be able to carry out a constructive and effective inclusion of migrants in workplaces, overcoming unnecessary hypocrisy and putting to value methods that take into account the enhancement of socio-emotional skills’ says Maria Santarcangelo, project manager of Studio Risorse, present in the city of Athens these days.
The project will also see the digital development by the innovative SME iInformatica, also responsible for the communication and dissemination of the project results, of an application that will allow, by exploiting the expert systems, to guide the migrant in the process of obtaining the Blue Card.
Press review
Interc.LAB: ERASMUS+ project on innovation for migrant inclusion gets underway in Matera
The complex context of the Russian-Ukrainian war makes the issue of the inclusion of migrants in European societies even more topical.
The two-day kick-off meeting of the ERASMUS+ Project 2021-1-IT01-KA220-VET-000033212 Intercultural Lab for migrants' inclusion came to an end, and saw the involvement of the two Matera-based companies Studio Risorse S.r.l. (Accredited Training Agency) and iInformatica S.r.l. (Private Research Centre specialised in experimental development) together with the prestigious European Partners 'Asociacion de Innovacion Innetica' (Spain), 'AFN Academia Formação do Norte' (Portugal), 'ISON PSYCHOMETRICA' (Greece) and 'VOLKSHOCHSCHULE IM LANDKREIS CHAM EV' (Germany).
The aim of the project is to promote the inclusion of migrants through the definition of appropriate procedures for skills certification, job offer-demand matching, and appropriate multidisciplinary counselling with the purpose of supporting the user in the obtainment of the EU BLUE CARD.
Among its deliverables, the project includes the realisation of an application to facilitate the migrant's obtainment of the Blue Card through an appropriate use of the specific legislative contents of the country of reference and through a blockchain certification of both the skills presented and declared by the migrant and the job offers provided by interested companies.
The blockchain thus becomes the key to guarantees for the institution, the migrant and also the provider.
Maria Santarcangelo, Project Manager of Studio Risorse S.r.l., the Project's lead partner, stated with satisfaction “The post-pandemic allowed us to return to meet face-to-face with our project partners. Indeed, human synergy and the sharing of experiences is a key goal of the EU Erasmus+ Programme Cooperation Projects where our training organisation plays a coordinating and know-how transfer role in terms of methods and skills. We will specifically deal with the development of a training programme aimed at employers for the development of intercultural and socio-emotional competences, which are indispensable for the integration of migrants in our societies, and inclusive workshops for the enhancement of key and occupational competences required by the EU BLUE CARD, which facilitates legal entry and integration into the world of work.
This is a complex issue that requires increasing attention and dedication, on which the Partners are confident of providing a valuable contribution to the improvement of Inclusion management".
Press Review