Migration, Education and Employment: Pathways to Successful Integration

This is an open access book which focuses on different aspects of education, employment, and successful integration of migrants in three countries: Norway, Sweden, and Switzerland. The chapters in this book reflect on these issues from micro, meso and macro perspectives; some are based on interviews with migrants and people who work with them, others on documents and literature about migration. There are different pathways for skilled migrants to vocations. Some start working in their previous vocations after arriving in the new environment. Some re-enter their professions but on a lower level. Some can re-train themselves in a new vocation, and some will go to further education, as studies in different chapters of this book suggest. Common for successful integration seems to be several intertwined factors: the target language competence, strong motivation and agency, supporting networks and supporting persons, as well as structural opportunities of the new environment. The book’s editorial board takes an eclectic view, hoping to start an academic debate about what ‘successful integration’ means. While discussions about the integration of migrants tend to focus on integration failures, there are millions of migrants, in different countries, who have successfully integrated into their new societies.

Intro -- Contents -- Contributors -- Chapter 1: Introduction: Integration in and Through Education and Employment -- Chapters in the Book -- References -- Part I: The Swedish Context -- Chapter 2: Migrant Successfully Accessing Their Vocation in Sweden: The Significance Labour Market Initiatives to Facilitate the Integration of Migrants and Refugees -- Introduction -- Integration Measures as a Form of Governmentality -- The Swedish Policy of Integration: The Construction of the Problem of Integration -- Societal Structure of Support for Migrants to Access Their Vocations in Sweden -- The Establishment Programme -- The Fast Track Programme -- The Short Way Programmes -- Temporality as a Mechanism for Classification and Construction of the Other as Competent or Incompetent -- Language as a Mechanism of Constructing the Other as Incompetent or Competent -- Knowledge Construction and Experience as a Mechanism for Inclusion and Exclusion -- Discussion -- References -- Chapter 3: Understanding Recognition of Prior Learning as a Tool for the Labour Market Integration of Skilled Migrants -- Introduction -- Recognition of Prior Learning -- The Research Field of Recognition of Prior Learning -- Competence: The Object of Recognition -- Formal Competence -- Actual Competence -- The Skilled Migrant: The Subject Experiencing Recognition -- Experiences of RPL -- RPL as a Divisive Practice -- Intersubjective Recognition -- The Process of Recognition -- The RPL Process as a Sorting Mechanism -- Communicative Action in RPL -- Discussion -- Conclusion -- References -- Chapter 4: Potential, Actuality or Vulnerability? The Importance of Recognition in Career Counselling for Newly Arrived Migrants -- Introduction -- Study and Career Counselling -- Recognition -- Recognition and Career Counselling -- Previous Research -- Methodology and Empirical Data -- Results.

Recognition as a Pedagogical Principle -- Recognition of Prior Knowledge, Experience and Aspirations 1: New Aspirations Are Established -- Recognition of Prior Knowledge, Experience and Aspirations 2: Long, Short and Broadened Perspectives -- Recognition of Prior Knowledge, Experience and Aspirations 3: The Pursuit of Autonomy -- Refugee Status and Advocacy -- The Limits to Recognition -- Conclusion: Summary and Discussion -- References -- Chapter 5: Important Encounters for Education and Employment -- Introduction -- Methodology -- Encounters that Influenced Employment and Educational Pathways -- "The Angel": A Transformative Meeting -- Meeting the Director: A Turning Point -- Encounters with Colleagues, Mentors, and Managers -- The Study Counsellors: Good Advisers? -- Encounters with Teachers -- Discussion and Conclusions -- References -- Chapter 6: Education for Access to the Swedish Labour Market and Society: A Historical Comparison of Practices for the Integration of Immigrants in the 1960s and Early 2000s -- Introduction -- Design of the Study -- Structural Changes -- Swedish Industry and Workforce Immigration 1960-1970 -- Cases of Labour Market Training for Immigrants in the 2000s -- Case 1: Tailored Workplace Education for Immigrants in Rural Sweden: Working with Resources and Deficit -- Case 2: A Company Training Experience -- Case 3: Regional Collaboration for Integration and Competence-Development of Immigrants: The Case of Swedish for Immigrants with Previous Professional Training (SFX) -- Concluding Remarks -- References -- Chapter 7: Integration as a Conceptual Resource When Studying Skilled Migrants in the Workplace -- Introduction -- Definitions and General Meanings of the Concept of Integration -- Approaches to Concepts -- The Concept of Integration in Migration Research -- The Conceptual Analysis Method.

The Concept of Integration in the Reviewed Studies -- The Use of the Concept of Integration in the Reviewed Studies -- Discussion -- References -- Appendix 1: List of Studies in the Review -- Chapter 8: Integration and the Art of Making a Society: The Case of Swedish Society -- Introduction -- Internationalisation, Immigration, Integration and Pedagogy for Inclusion -- Globalisation and Migration -- Structural Discrimination -- The Problematic Ethnicity -- Immigrants and Integration -- Folkbildning, the Study Circles and Sweden -- Between the Particular and the Universal, or on Bildung and the Art of Being Human with Other Humans -- Epilogue: "Do You Want to Go Forward? Then Go in a Circle!" -- References -- Part II: The Swiss and Norwegian Contexts -- Chapter 9: Successful Integration of Refugees in Vocational Education and Training: Experiences from a New Pre-vocational Programme -- Introduction -- Integration Agenda Switzerland -- The Pre-apprenticeship Programme to Support Integration -- The Accompanying Research Project -- Experiences from the First Programme Year -- Key Factors Contributing to Successful Transitions -- Participants' Learning Environment in the PAI -- Participants' Individual Characteristics -- Participants' Social Environment -- Research Questions -- Data and Measures -- Samples -- Measures -- Results -- Career Prospects -- The Learning Environment and Educational Pathways -- Individual Characteristics and Educational Pathways -- Individuals' Social Environment and Educational Pathways -- Discussion -- Conclusion -- References -- Chapter 10: 'Open Sesame': Skilled Immigrants' Experiences with Bridging Programmes in the Validation Process in Norway -- Introduction -- Occupational Regulations and Bridging Programmes in Norway -- Admission Criteria and Course Content -- Theoretical Lens -- Prior Research on Bridging Programmes.

Students' General Perceived Challenges and Barriers -- Language: A Main Challenge -- Perceived Success Factors -- Data and Methods -- Participants -- Data Collection -- Analysis -- Ethical Considerations -- Findings and Discussion -- Motivation for Entering a Specific Profession -- Professional Identity in the Country of Origin -- Motivation for Migration -- Authority Requirements -- Professional Identity: Both Strengthened and Weakened in a New Country -- Information Flow About Bridging Programmes -- Prerequisites for Completing Bridging Programmes -- Motivations -- Personal Requirements -- Conclusion -- References -- Chapter 11: Multicultural Perspectives in Driving Instructor Education and Driving Schools for Professional Drivers in Norway -- Introduction -- Driving Instructor Education and Professional Driver Education in Norway -- Theoretical Framework -- Interrelated Elements in Vocational Didactics: Reflection, Self-Regulation and the Eighth Variable -- Second Language Pedagogy -- Language, Culture and Intercultural Communication -- Method -- Qualitative Interviews -- Ethical Considerations -- Results -- Culture -- Learning Culture -- Traffic Culture -- Instructional Approach -- Cooperative Work in Classrooms -- Facilitation in Practical Training -- Language Skills for Education and Working Life -- Discussion and Conclusion -- References -- Chapter 12: Concluding Remarks -- References.