RIAC – Regional Integration Accelerators | Sub-Project: Comprehensive Monitoring and Evaluation Plan for Refugees’ Labour Market Integration
| Project duration: | 01/2018 – 06/2020 |
|---|---|
| Project leader: | Prof. Dr. Uta Wilkens |
| Project assistant: | Pauline Fischer, Vanessa Vaughn |
| Funding: | European Commission and project partners |
| Funding Code: | VS/2017/0469 |
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE
The EU-funded RIAC project aims to develop and disseminate a standardised and multipliable approach to promote an accelerated and sustainable integration of refugees into regional labour markets. In order to shorten the integration process, so-called ‘RIACs’ are implemented at different project locations. RIACs are small, decentralized units which are usually set up for specific industries or companies and can be characterised by specific activities. These include activities such as 24/7 integration (e.g. through blended learning) or the targeted and coordinated use of mentors, language trainers and speed managers. A decisive factor for the success of the project is the implementation of parallel processes, i.e. project-specific activities are carried out simultaneously instead of subsequently. This course of action promises a shortening of the integration period from 48 months to 12 months. In general, RIACs are implemented in cooperation with employers who offer refugees concrete job opportunities. Special RIACs focus on the labour market integration of refugee women or the creation of sustainable self-employment.
A total of eight partners from sometimes very heterogeneous regions in Germany, Denmark, Italy and Turkey are involved in the project. The largest differences exist with regard to the prevailing structural and political-administrative framework conditions.
In order to ensure the sustainable success of the project, the IAW, under the direction of Prof. Dr. Uta Wilkens, carries out a process-based evaluation, which focuses on a pre-post measurement of critical success factors (initial conditions, success drivers, outcomes). The evaluation concept involves the measurement of RIAC-related effects during the whole project period and the provision of feedback to the project partners in several workshops. Important indicators are the speed and sustainability of labour market integration, the employability of refugees, the avoidance of gender-specific differences and the organisational integration capabilities of the employers involved.
DOWNLOAD AREA FOR THE RIAC MEASUREMENT AND EVALUATION INSTRUMENTS
| Instrument for measuring the readiness of employers | Language versions: Danish, English, German, Italian, Turkish |
| Instrument for measuring the readiness of self-employed |
Language versions: Amharic, Arabic, English, Farsi, French, German, Pashto, Somali, Tigrinya, Urdu |
| Instrument for evaluating the RIAC implementation process | Language version: English |
| Instrument for measuring individual employability / competences |
Language versions: Amharic, Arabic, English, Farsi, French, German, Pashto, Somali, Tigrinya, Turkish, Urdu |
Project partners
- Pro Arbeit – Kreis Offenbach – Kommunales Jobcenter (consortium leadership)
- Alisei Coop (Central Italy: Umbria)
- Cidis Onlus (South Italy: Calabria, Campania)
- Esbjerg Kommune (South Denmark)
- Habitat (Turkey: trans-regional with focus on Istanbul)
- IGAM (Turkey: Ankara)
- KIZ SINNOVA (Germany: Offenbach am Main)
- Ruhr-Universität Bochum (IAW)
Publications
WILKENS, U./LANGHOLF, V./BITTER, DENISE (2019): Interim Report. Overview of the implementation process of RIAC activities, Institute of Work Science, Ruhr Universität Bochum, Bochum.
Presentations
EURAM 2019 Symposium: Employer and Regional Readiness for Refugees’ Labour Market Integration, Lissabon, 28.06.2019 with the following presentations:
- BIEBER, A. (2019): Successful labor market integration as a matter of regional political conditions – Insights from the EU Project “Regional Integration Accelerators (RIAC)”, EURAM 2019, Lissabon, 28.06.2019.
- NARDON, L. (2019): Employment Support Systems in Canada and Australia, EURAM 2019, Lissabon, 28.06.2019.
- VAUGHN, V. (2019). Regional Governance and Network Capabilities, EURAM 2019, Lissabon, 28.06.2019.
- WILKENS, U. (2019): Employer Readiness and Self-Employment, EURAM 2019, Lissabon, 28.06.2019.