FRAMEWORK OF THE PROJECT: FRAMEWORK OF THE PROJECT:
The Area of Centres and Programs for Refugees of the Institute of Migrations and Social Services (IMSERSO), began a project at the end of 1995 encompassed within the Community Initiative for Employment and Development of the Human Resources, the employment Horizon chapter, aimed to improve the possibilities of employment for handicapped persons and other disadvantaged groups, between those which the refugees are included.
FRA GENERAL OBJECTIVE:
This project, called INLANDER-CAR, contains a series of measures and actions or activities whose general purpose is TO FACILITATE THE OCCUPATIONAL INTEGRATION of the group of persons assisted in the Reception Centres for Refugees (CAR), that is TO ASYLUM APPLICANTS, REFUGEES AND DISPLACED PERSONS, THROUGH VOCATIONAL TRAINING AND ADAPTATION TO THE SPANISH LABORAL MARKET. This group has clear difficulties in finding access to the national employment market since obtaining work is an extremely complex task nowadays, as there are evident legal as well as cultural circumstances that place these persons on a lower condition.
The candidates of the targeted social group of the project will be selected from the CAR (receptions centres) and will have an active participation in the programs.
FR DURATION AND FINANCING:
The final version of the project was presented on October 31, 1995. It counts on the co-funding of the European Social Fund and the IMSERSO with a time limit ending in December of 1997, and open to extension.
F ORGANIZATION AND HUMAN RESOURCES:
The project is co-ordinated from the Area of Centres and Programs for Refugees and is carried out in each one of the four Reception Centres of the IMSERSO located in different regions in Spain: Seville (Andalucia), Mislata (Valencia), Vallecas (Madrid) and Alcobendas (Madrid).
These Centres are administrated by a direction and a technical team with expert staff that are responsible of management, promotion, and organization of the different activities of the project, always considering the present flux of the labour and of society at a local and regional level, as well as making use profitable social resources available through the support of existing entities, institutions and organizations.
As part of the project, we can count on the presence of a newly created professional figure, - the EMPLOYMENT MANAGER, within the technical CAR personnel. Four persons, one placed in each CAR, previously selected and with a specific profile, have received a specialized basic training to be able to develop activities for the employment management in favour of asylum applicants, refugees and displaced persons that are, or have been residing in these Centres. These activities can be classified in three large groups:
1. Activities related to training
2. Activities related to of employment generating sources
3. Counselling activities and support for work integration
F PROJECT ACTIONS:
In addition to doing research and acquiring knowledge of the laboral market, training focused on the demands and placing for job offers, laboral and legal assessment, creating a map and networks of laboral and social resources, promoting active participation of the selected persons, the project also offers a series of parallel activities, which are the following:
The specific training as employment managers for refugees has been given, not only to those persons who are destined concretely to such functions, but also to the expert team of the four Reception Centres, as well as to their managing directors and personnel of the Central Services, in order to achieve a greater knowledge and to improve the team work directed towards the laboral integration of the group of persons receiving assistance.
B. Information, diffusion and sensitization activities:
These are addressed to the receiving society and to the refugees themselves. Some are focused towards the potential employers. Each C.A.R. designs and promotes those campaigns that consider most convenient in accordance with their social reality and resources.
C. Development of a computer system for the occupational orientation which will be installed in each Centre and connected at the same time between themselves and the Area in the Central Refugee Section.
The said computer system already functions with the handicapped group and after a series of modifications can be adapted for refugees programs and to be used for:
To keep a record of persons in employment age
The organization and management of occupational professional training courses
The elaboration of a map of resources (training / employment)
The study of a training offer at local and regional level
D. Transnationality
The transnational dimension is a fundamental part of the whole project and a characteristic element of the Community Initiatives.
The transnational dimension is directed towards facilitating and promoting the innovations in the labour and social integration of the persons who faced a social exclusion situation, and that such innovations should be diffused amongst professional and groups that, in each country work in this field.
Consequently, the Spanish project INLANDER-CAR, counts on a partnership with two European organizations, Austrian and Greek, to accomplish a co-operation between the projects carried out in each country with the same groups of persons and final objectives.
Through such co-operation and exchange of experiences, it is intended to advanced in the search of new methodologies in vocational training as well as access of refugees to employment.
E. Evaluation
Finally, a follow-up and continuous evaluation is being accomplished of the economic and technical aspects of the development of the project at a national and transnational level. The final result of such an evaluation will show us the achievements and mistakes and the way to proceed.
