Meet Rachid.

Hi, I’m Rachid and my personal interests are IT, health and music. When I was 27 I decided to leave my country to escape civil unrest and war. After a few years in Germany, I met Joline, a Dutch woman, who I eventually married and then moved to the Netherlands. Once in the Netherlands, as I strongly believe that “cracking” knowledge of a language is essential for a successful integration, I immediately registered for a Dutch course . Now, I would like to get a part-time job while studying IT and / or healthcare. I had a look for learning opportunities using the Public Employment Service (PES) website, but I am not sure which path would fit best to his prior experience and education.

What's the objective?

To find a part-time job that would allow him to study and plan his studies, Rachid would like to have his prior experience and learning recognised. As he left his country without a record of his studies and work experience, he is looking for a means to be recognised.

Who will have access?

The recognition obtained by Rachid will be communicated to potential employers (for the part-time job) and to study/career counselors..

Who will be able to claim recognition?

  • Learner. Claiming skills from the self assessment tool (Skills Profile Tool) can help gaining confidence for the learner.
  • Mentors and peer learners. Identify and unlock claimed skills through work-learn experiences and training opportunities at the Council for Refugees and the Public Employment Service from the local government.

What will be recognised?

  • What credentials, evidence and endorsements do you have?
  • Many things can prove your achievements. Think outside the box!
  • The soft skills most migrants have like adaptability and problem solving are increasingly important to employers.  

Rachid's Path

Starting out

Rachid used the the Skills Profile Tool (SPT) for Third Country Nationals to creates a personal portfolio based on self assessment with an overview of essential skills from prior work- and learning experiences. To support his claims, Rachid is looking for endorsements from other refugees and contacts he has kept in his country of origin.

consolidating

Rachid then improved the initial portfolio created with the Skills Profile Tool to detail what are his personal goals in terms of education and career.  This is a work performed together with a job coach to unlock learning and work opportunities based on prior learning and work experience.

Extending

Rachid is collecting evidence from work related places through endorsements of peers, colleagues and clients.

Technology checklist

The first technology used, the Skills Profile Tool,  is an open source platform that can be used on a voluntary basis and free of charge to create a profile based on the European classification of Skills, Competences, Occupations and Qualifications (ESCO). Profiles are exportable as PDF, Word, Excel or XML files. The other technology involved Open Badges are  portable, verifiable and content-rich digital credentials issued by tutors, such as Open Badges that are aligned against ESCO. allow to collect endorsements. There is also the option to create self claimed credentials, aligned with ESCO which can be endorsed by peer learners/workers and employers using Open Badges. Displayer of content, achievements and recognition with networking capabilities within the learning group

What do they think?

Qualification frameworks, when they exist, can be difficult to match. While recognising prior experience and learning often requires tailor-made work , we need to take into account our general policy which is to have everyone is treated equally. 
I’m happy to have the possibility to show my experience and skills in a way that is understandable by employers.
My goal is to find, even create, employment opportunities for the refugees. Being able to recognise and understand the prior experience of migrants is essential to avoid having them move through a revolving door.