To commemorate World Refugee Day on 20 June, the European Commission is showcasing how two Member States that have been hit by the COVID-19 crisis are using the EU Skills Profile Tool for Third Country Nationals to help integrate refugees and other third country nationals into their labour market.

In the Spanish area of Malaga, Christar International and several other civil society organisations have been using the Skills Profile Tool since the beginning of 2019. Student interns interviewed and assisted newly arrived migrants to undertake skills profiling with the help of the tool. These profiles are added to a skills database available to employers at local and regional levels. This resulted in several successful matches on the labour market.

Furthermore and in response to the COVID-19 crisis, a number of civil society organisations are implementing job creation platforms to support the re-integration of refugees and other migrants in Malaga. They are incorporating the EU Skills Profile Tool in these platforms. 

In Milan, Italy, the International Economic Cooperation Institute (ICEI) is using the EU Skills Profile Tool as well. For the MILE project, funded by the Asylum, Migration and Integration (AMIF) Fund, migrants receive support to enter the labour market by assessing and documenting their competences.

The tool is helping users make sense of their skills and knowledge, including those acquired informally and including skills of which they were not always aware. In the MILE project, Zaidy Valdiviezo used the tool to identify and define her skills and knowledge. The improved self-awareness and empowerment helped her to find a job in an interior design company.

Context

The European Commission developed the EU Skills Profile Tool for Third Country Nationals in 2017 to support early identification of the skills of refugees and other third country nationals in order to facilitate their integration into the labour market and wider society. 

Any organisation, service or national authority offering assistance to third country nationals can use the tool. It aims to get to know individuals, their skills and experiences and provide recommendations on what steps they should take to find employment. The tool is available in 30 languages (including seven languages used in key origin countries) and can be used online for free.

The tool has a new version since 16 June, which is more flexible to use. For example, the configuration part of the tool enables users to hide questions or sections of the questionnaire. In addition, an open source version of the tool is available online.