European Trade Union Committee for Education

The European Commission recently published a working paper, concluding that refugees, even if well qualified, still face obstacles in accessing the European labour market, for instance legal obstacles, low acceptance of qualifications acquired abroad, or discrimination. The working paper highlights the impact of education for increasing refugees’ chances on the labour market – however, the impact remains low when compared to native-born people. It is concluded that strong language skills are key for accessing the labour market.

ETUCE points out that teachers need to be specially trained to meet refugees’ and migrants’ needs in education and that successful integration could be a valuable asset for societies.

Read the working paper