Migration promotes training programmes with multinationals for international protection applicants

The Minister for Inclusion, Social Security and Migration, Elma Saiz, at the event where the collaboration agreements with the companies were signed

Through the Directorate General for Humanitarian Attention and the International Protection Reception System of the State Secretariat for Migration, the Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration has launched programmes aimed at improving the employability of beneficiaries of the international protection reception system.

These actions, in collaboration with companies such as IKEA, Amazon, Cisco Systems, COBRA Group and INECO, aim to strengthen these people's autonomy, thereby facilitating their integration into the labour market.

To this effect, the Directorate General for Humanitarian Attention and the International Protection Reception System are promoting protocols and guides, and are disseminating messages in different forums to encourage the recruitment of people seeking international protection. The actions include training workshops, with an emphasis on labour market insertion and the development of skills that contribute to beneficiaries' greater independence and autonomy. Language training and digital literacy are fundamental pillars in this process.

Elma Saiz, Minister for Migration: "These programmes define the Government of Spain's commitment to the real integration of people who need to build a future outside their own countries. Without support for autonomy, training and a lever to boost their first job, inclusion would not be as effective".

Key partnerships

CISCO SYSTEMS: Through Cisco's "Skills For All" programme, beneficiaries can access free training in digital skills, improving their employability. So far, 14 reception centres in the network of the Directorate General for Humanitarian Aid and the International Protection Reception System have made the platform available to their beneficiaries, through which they can acquire a labour certification in subjects such as cybersecurity, data science and programming, among others.

IKEA: Through a collaboration agreement signed in June this year, IKEA supports the employability of people in the system with projects such as the "Sourcing Talent Pool" and the provision of specific logistics courses for people in Madrid's Emergency Shelter Centres.

AMAZON: This agreement provides for the training of 30 Malian people to work at the Amazon centre in Illescas (Toledo). Training activities include learning technical Spanish, socio-labour skills and warehousing training. Following the selection process, people can access temporary employment contracts with the possibility of them becoming permanent.

COBRA GROUP: This partnership supports refugees in Spain through complementary pathways by providing job opportunities in photovoltaic plant construction projects in Valladolid.

INECO: Within the framework of the PROA Programme, the collaboration with INECO involves searching for talent among the people targeted by the reception system with profiles focused on the transport and communications sector. By the end of the quarter, INECO had received 100 applications from entities in the system.

Exchange of good practices

In the framework of international cooperation, the Directorate General for Humanitarian Aid and the International Protection Reception System have shared experiences with the Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers in the Netherlands, and have the support of UNHCR in the analysis of the Spanish labour market. These exchanges strengthen the design of effective labour inclusion strategies for refugees and stateless people in Spain.

These initiatives also confirm the commitment to create an environment that fosters the autonomy and personal development of its beneficiaries, thereby contributing to a more inclusive and equitable society.

Through the alliance with Fundación Tent, the Directorate General for Humanitarian Attention and the International Protection Reception System facilitate the linking of its beneficiaries with more than 30 companies committed to the inclusion of refugees in the labour market, including BBVA, Inditex and Pfizer. Fundación Tent also continuously monitors applications, improving the integration of people in selection processes.

The International Protection Reception System (SAPI)

The International Protection Reception System (SAPI) is available to beneficiaries and applicants for international protection, statelessness or temporary protection status, provided that they lack sufficient financial resources. Among others, the reception system provides food and accommodation services, social, psychological, legal and cultural support and accompaniment, interpretation, language teaching and translation services, employment and vocational guidance, and support in the processing of public aid. The services and actions are aimed at guaranteeing a minimum of dignity and favouring integration and autonomy in Spain. The intervention with the target group is carried out through a reception itinerary that is developed in three phases:

• The initial assessment and referral phase aims to identify the particular needs of the people targeted so that they can be referred to the system's reception resources best suited to their profiles. In this phase, the basic and urgent needs of people entering the system are met, potential vulnerability factors are identified and assessed, and basic guidance on the reception system is provided.
• In the reception phase, the beneficiaries are given access to the reception resources most appropriate to the individual or family unit's needs, including those managed by the authorised entities and those of state public ownership (CAR). During this phase, individualised itineraries aimed at integration and the acquisition of autonomy are designed and developed, thanks to the multidisciplinary teams that guarantee comprehensive care within the reception system.
• The autonomy phase takes place outside the system's own reception resources, the objective of which is to ensure that the beneficiaries of international, temporary or stateless protection receive the necessary support for the consolidation of the skills and knowledge acquired throughout the reception itinerary, aimed at full inclusion in the host society.

Non official translation