Partner references:

Partner organization: Centre of Migration Research, University of Warsaw in cooperation with Institute for Structural Research

Country of implementation: Poland

Good practice references:

Title of the good practice: "Skills for the Future. UW for Ukraine"

Implementing organization: Centre of Migration Research, University of Warsaw

Responsible: Centre of Migration Research

Link: https://ua.wne.uw.edu.pl/category/aktualnosci/#pll_switcher

Period of implementation: March – July 2023

Good practice description:

The program was designed for highly qualified people from Ukraine with a background in social, economic, or related fields.

They designed the online and offline courses to match three pathways of capacity development: academic, business and NGO. By August, more than 20 courses, ranging from 3-hour lectures to 30-hour training sessions and an on-site summer school, had been completed on such topics:

• The Polish labour market regulations and foundations of business/ NGOs opening;
• Methods in social science and the economics;
• Methods of project’s management (for business and research);
• Quantitative data analysis, also in the context of IT sector;
• Development of soft skills (methods of stress management);
• Development of language skills (specialized trainings targeted towards different audiences);

In addition to training, they offered a mentoring program. More than 50 participants and 5 mentors had been working on improvement of their qualifications based on a trainings program,  job applications and individualized paths of career development. Programme’s participants will also receive support from the experienced mentees.. Both participants and mentors are supported by a team of three supervisors who speak Ukrainian, English and Polish.

The organizers were aware that they can’t provide participants with courses on all the topics they are interested in, they tried to collect their suggestions and feedback. The project had open formula, focused on dialogue with participants.

Professional area of reference

The support program “UW for Ukraine” coordinates various forms of assistance provided by different individuals and groups from the University of Warsaw as a comprehensive initiative. The program includes 19 forms of support for individuals from Ukraine such as: language courses, career planning and vocational activation workshops, adaptive meetings, psychological support, legal support, entrepreneurship courses, computer courses, as well as initiatives such as a music group and a children's choir. One activity center has been established in the university building, and an e-learning platform has been created for remote courses and registration for activities. 20 university units are involved, supported by several non-governmental organizations, as well as schools, cultural clubs, community centers, and student organizations.

Skills for the Future program is establised to offer work-based training with the know-how, tools in a wide range of skills needed to work effectively in a fast moving and fast changing society.

Main factors of success

There were quite diverse forms of support that participants could take part in. 2 forms deserve special attention and can be positive example for our project.

Mentoring, as a support process and an additional tool to facilitate the integration of migrants effectively, helps them to understand in which direction and how to guide their professional life while in Poland and how to better adjust their skills and competences to the new challenges they may face in Ukraine after the retur. Integration is a two-way process requiring the involvement of both the host society and the migrant, which can be achieved more effectively with the support of a mentor. Mentoring can help to empower migrants and expand their practical knowledge of their rights in the process of integration. Mentoring can very easily and naturaly support participants in emotional chelenges like experience stress, anxiety, and confusion.

This multicultural mentoring is an interesting way of of support. Especially according to support/training to understand the specific situation of war refugees, their needs, and any potential challenges. working with participants from different cultural backgrounds (the exchange of experiences and mutual understanding), and providing mentors with cultural support so that they can effectively communicate and support participants from different cultures. Both participants and mentors are supported by a team of three supervisors who speak Ukrainian, English, and Polish.

Summer School (2 days meeting) with open panel discussion with people from The Polish-Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and presentation the perspective of migrants, and the challenges they face when trying to enter the EU labour markets related to ethnic-related stereotypes. It was an opportunity for personal meetings, providing a chance to build relationships and establish social networks and integration.

Positive impact of the practice on Ukrainian community and potential impact on the creation of bonds between the host country and Ukraine

The integration of migrants is a complex, long-term, and multifactorial process that requires economic and psychological resources. The program support migrants by creating the conditions for effective integration and probable succes in their personal and professional growth in the country of arrival. The skill-matching process and finding a job corresponding to the competencies and aspirations are a serious challenge. Common phenomenon for migrants is working below their qualifications, which we can see in the group of Ukrainian. The situation may be acceptable in the short term (as a temporary state), but in the long term, it risks a deterioration/loss of skills and may negatively affect the person's future professional career, even after returning to Ukraine. That's why raising awareness and providing extensive support for individuals to find their place in the job market in a new country is crucial.

Input on project

The project uses the potential of the university and access to the knowledge and experience of academic researchers and lecturers in the topics: low regulations, project management, data analysis, soft skills, and language development.

Useful experiences in aspects such as recruiting participants for the program, collaborating with organizations outside the university, gathering information about potential participants who might be interested in joining our program (e.g., as trainers).

It is worth learning and leveraging the experiences in the creation and operation of online tools.

The project evaluation is currently underway. The assessment of workshop topics themselves, adapting their content to participants' needs, and the effectiveness and application of knowledge in practice are all interesting aspects. Additionally, matters related to organization and the selection of groups are noteworthy. It would be valuable if we decided to undertake a similar project for the exact sciences.