16 Amendments of Jana TOOM related to 2015/2321(INI)
Amendment 12 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Calls on the Member States to tackle the current refugee crisis with a holistic strategy that gives priority to the social and economic integration of refugees and asylum seekers, including through education and culture, training, culture and sport;
Amendment 38 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Emphasises that refugees of all ages need to gain access to education and training services as soon as possible after their arrival, in order to ensure that integration begins immediately; underlines that for achieving better integration of children, youth and adults from immigrant backgrounds, every individual should be provided with sufficient pedagogical support for learning;
Amendment 39 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 b (new)
Paragraph 2 b (new)
2b. Encourages Member States to ensure preparatory instructions for basic education as an individual right of the pupils regardless where they start living in Europe;
Amendment 45 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 c (new)
Paragraph 2 c (new)
2c. States that language courses represent a relevant tool to promote integration and should be made available at a very early stage of the integration process1, providing refugees, and refugee women in particular, with a basic instrument to strengthen their sense of belonging to the community and their independence from the family background2; Underlines that language courses should be pared with an overview of the local culture, practical skills, everyday problem-solving knowledge of one’s own rights, vocational training, and information on how to access services; 1 ECRE (1999), Good Practice Guide on the Integration of Refugees in the European Union. Education, available at: http://www.ecre.org/topics/areas- ofwork/integration/184.html. 2 Chung, K., Hong, E. and Newbold, B. (2013: Resilience among single adult female refugees in Hamilton, Ontario, in “Refuge”, Vol. 29, No. 1.
Amendment 48 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 d (new)
Paragraph 2 d (new)
Amendment 49 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 e (new)
Paragraph 2 e (new)
2e. Notes that all EU and EEA states have a designated National Academic Recognition Information Centre which provides a way to compare academic qualifications; stresses however that employers are not aware of recognition procedures and rely on accreditations from local-country professional bodies; calls in this regard for boosting the profile of this service in order to improve the positive labour market impact of having qualifications and experience gained in third countries recognised and to speed up the process of recognition of foreign qualifications;
Amendment 50 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 f (new)
Paragraph 2 f (new)
2f. Underlines that all Member States should have a legal framework in place for the recognition of third country qualifications; stresses that framework recognition procedures must be flexible, fast, transparent, simple and easily accessible and that alternative assessment methods such as exams to prove prior knowledge and working experience, inclusion of alternative documents and interviews to clarify previous education, should be (further) developed;
Amendment 51 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 g (new)
Paragraph 2 g (new)
2g. Recommends that qualifications of third country nationals should be included in the development of a European Qualifications Framework; suggests that all Member States should have skills audits in place to assess the competences of third country nationals and portfolio building should be further developed as a tool to assess skills, experience and qualifications as soon as possible after arrival in the host country; suggests that the assessment should lead to the issuing of formal certificates, which can be used for the purposes of further education, vocational training or searching for a job; recommends, furthermore, the involvement of the employers in the assessment procedures;
Amendment 52 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 h (new)
Paragraph 2 h (new)
2h. Encourages Member States to set up dedicated Internet portals aimed at providing concise and easily accessible information about recognition possibilities and provide structured overview on the various recognition procedures for the different professions, and lists the responsible institutions and information about related counselling services as well as to provide online counselling services; underlines that refugees´ access to recognition should be facilitated providing multilingual information on recognition procedures and authorities in the context of the integration programmes;
Amendment 76 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Stresses the significant importance of training activities in promoting, at the same time, refugees´ social integration and labour market integration, and in combatting social exclusion1; underlines that employers should be involved in the development of vocational training programmes as they know better the skills needed in the job market; 1France Terre d’Asile (2006), Insertion des réfugiés statutaires: une analyse des parcours professionels, September, available at: http://www.france-terre- asile.org/images/stories/publications/pdf/ CduS_11-vweb-finale.pdf.
Amendment 78 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 b (new)
Paragraph 4 b (new)
4b. Acknowledges the scarce access to information, advice, guidance, and training for refugee women; underlines the importance of proper training, tailoring services and integration measures on their specific needs, aimed at enhancing refugee women’s skills and education; calls therefore for the involvement of refugee and asylum- seeking women in training programmes in order to break isolation, enhance their empowerment and independence and foster acquaintance of these subjects related to their local daily life, thus restoring a sense of equality, belonging and self-esteem;
Amendment 87 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Asks the Member States to promote initiatives to foster cooperation among public authorities, NGOs and refugee communities in order to enhance mutual knowledge and understanding; encourages Member States to promote and facilitate better cooperation between professional bodies, training providers and universities in order to provide training courses to upgrade qualifications tailored to the needs of third country nationals; Suggests the establishment of cooperation channels for teachers so that they can share their experiences, exchange best practices and receive peer support;
Amendment 90 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Underlines that successful cultural integration requires, on one hand, common understanding of the core values that underlie the cultures of democratic European countries, notably human rights, the principle of equality, the protection of minorities, democracy, the separation of state and church, and the rule of law and on another hand better understanding and acceptance of refugees´ values and diverse cultures; underlines, at the same time, that Member States need to promote cultural awareness and sensitivity as well as knowledge of and contact with the many different cultures within their societies; encourages, in this regard, Member States to launch courses on cultural differences and to better promote multiculturalism and tolerance; suggests to Member States to promote community education campaigns in areas where refugees are settled in order to foster more harmonious community relationships;
Amendment 100 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Emphasises the importance of promoting and further developing educational apps, videos and exercises, as well as learning platforms for refugees, in order to facilitate and complement their education and training;
Amendment 103 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 b (new)
Paragraph 6 b (new)
6b. Emphasises that participating in arts projects is highly beneficial for refugees´ social integration, as it impacts participants in a number of ways including: building self-esteem, improving communication skills, an increased ability to express themselves with confidence, resilience, integration into host communities and networks, developing higher aspirations, and advancing leadership skills; Stresses that the use of art as an integration tool should be better promoted and refugees´ participation in arts activities should be facilitated and enhanced;
Amendment 111 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Acknowledges the essential role of teachers in integrating refugee and migrant children in education; stresses on the importance of improving teachers education and in particular reinforcing and further develop teachers’ multicultural skills and competences; encourages, in this regard, Member States to include multicultural skills in the mandatory curriculum of basic teacher training; acknowledges the importance and the need of more qualified teachers with immigrant background;