igma3 project. Training curriculum for guidance practitioners and coaches
The integration of young adults in the labour market requires of the involvement of different stakeholders at local level. Even more with those youngsters at risk of social exclusion. Guidance practitioners, social workers, staff of PES, local authorities, mentor and trainers are part of a stakeholder’s network in which usually is miss one essential actor: the employer.
The igma3 project proposes a training program for the local networks that support young adults at risk of exclusion in their access to employment that considers this need.
With this aim, a training program targeted to guidance practitioners has been design. It collects the following modules:
• Igma concept for the labour market integration of young adults.
• Career counselling and coaching according to igma methodology.
• Elaboration of individual profiling and assessment towards labour market or AVET.
• Igma employer involvement.
igma3 and the involvement of employers
For effective inclusion of young adults in the labour market, counsellors not only have to know the skills that market demands every moment, but also having first-hand information of employer’s requirements. Something that will also allow matching the training and professional development of youngsters to the real needs of the labour market.
The employer must be an active participant on the local stakeholders’ network and for this a bridge between counsellor and employer has to be build up. Both must speak a common language or at least interact in a common field in which the young adult (its insertion in the labour market) is at the centre of action.
To distinguish between the different contributions employers can give, which way and which tools are needed to engage them in order to enhance the effectiveness of the entry of youth people into the labour market are some of the steps that will allow counsellor to develop a stable and long term relationship with the employer.
Igma curriculum will help coaches to acquire the necessary skills to collect relevant information on employment in their local environment, to prospect and be able to contact employers successfully. Those skills are completed with the development of competences to design and implement actions involving employers on the progression of youngsters towards employment.
Corporate Social Responsibility, Social Innovation and local employment
To achieve this goal is of great interest that the counsellor has a knowledge on basic notions of corporate social responsibility, social innovation and also on mentorship and internship.
Fostering local employment development through integrating the enterprises’ sense of social responsibility is one of the new types of local development strategies with an unlocked potential across EU. Corporate Social Responsibility is considered a win-win scenario, whereby companies increase their profitability and society benefits at the same time.
On the other hand, Social Innovation is presented as a tool to identify new employment opportunities for youth and new business opportunities for employers facing societal challenges. More specifically, the case of social enterprises as a tool to support youth employment is analysed.
Besides, employers’ involvement, CSR and Social Innovation give the counsellor a new conceptual framework to project their work plans with both the employer and the rest stakeholders’ network, in line with IGMA methodology.
All of above mentioned is complemented by specific activities to reinforce and to enhance the effectiveness of the mentorship and internship actions, bringing the counsellor a complete view of different ways and possibilities of interacting and creating collaboration opportunities with the employer.
Project:
IGMA 3.- Shortening Distance to Labour Market for young people with risk for unemployment and social exclusion – Distance Education for Coordinated Measures by Regional Stakeholder Networks
Call: Erasmus+ K2. Cooperation and Innovation for Good Practices
Action: Strategic Partnerships for adult education
Agreement nº: 2015-1-SE01-KA204-012244
Duration: 36 meses
Promoter
Folkuniversitetet stiftelsen kursverksamheten vid Uppsala Universitetet.- Uppsala (Sweden)
Partners
MMC Management Centre Ltd, Nicosia (Cyprus)
DIMITRA Education and Consulting, S.A., Larisa (Greece)
DOCUMENTA, Instituto Europeo de Estudios para la Formación y el Desarrollo, Santander (Spain)
REVALENTO. Van de Winkel Consultancy BV, Tilburg (The Netherlands)
ECWT, European Centre for Women and Technology (ECWT) Forening, Drammen (Norway)
UYOVR, Union of Youth Organizations of Vinnytsia region, Vinnytsia (Ukraine)
This project has been funded with support from the European Commission.
This communication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
