The Immigrant Women & e-Skills in Europe Study investigates how ICT training programs effect the employability and social inclusion of immigrant women in Europe. TASCHA researchers surveyed 375 immigrant women and 155 native-born women in Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, and Romania. Data also included interviews with staff at non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Researchers found that strengthening e-skills among immigrant women advances their employability through: education and lifelong learning, social inclusion, and cultural inclusion. Findings also suggest that NGOs are pivotal in fostering integration and in promoting many of the non-technical competencies that are required to succeed in the labor market.
The objective of this study is to understand the contribution of digital competences to advance the employability of immigrant women in five European Union...
There is much research on the role of e-skills in advancing employability among disadvantaged groups, but little is known about the way in which these...
Research Brief: Immigrant Women, e-Skills, and Employability in Europe summarizes the findings of the larger study. It found computer training...
These surveys were created in seven languages to inform the TASCHA research surrounding Immigrant Women, e-Skills, and Employability in Europe....
Participants identified a number of ways that computers are important. Respondents that received computer training reported higher computer and internet skill levels than those that did not receive training (Figure 1). For these women, training seems to make the difference between “no skills” and “basic skills.”
While computer skills are often necessary to find a job or write a resume, computer skills alone are not sufficient to obtain employment. Skill level is not an indicator of employment for immigrant women. But this does not mean that computer training does not promote employability. Trainees with basic skills may have recently begun computer training precisely because they are unemployed. © bobsphotography.nl Immigrant women, e-skills, and employability in Europe The case of Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Romania, and Spain
Many women reported significant vocational training or experience in their countries of origin (as nurses, office managers, etc.). As new arrivals, however, many found that their credentials were not recognized and therefore sought work in different fields. Forty-six percent of women reported that their current jobs did not relate to their skills or training.
The variety of services that wrap-around and complement computer training represents an important system of inputs. They are most effective when their complementary roles are acknowledged and leveraged. Language training, for example, can be paired with computer training in innovative ways that advance both skills.
Ties between women and ties between organizations can facilitate connections that strengthen the employability and integration of immigrant women.
Immigrant women are sometimes unable to take advantage of formal education and employment opportunities because their experience or credentials are not recognized in their new countries. Policies that standardize the transnational recognition of credentials represent an important economic gain for individual immigrants, employers, and the host-country economy.
