Primacenters

Local employment centers to support migrants’ socio- economic integration in the primary sector

A multi-stakeholder effort for migrant workers’ effective integration into employment and the local community

GA number: 101140836

Funded by: AMIF      Duration: 01/05/2024 – 30/04/2027


Challenge

A 2018 European Commission study on skills and labour market needs in the primary sector highlighted that migrant workers often lack the necessary language skills, professional qualifications, and recognition of prior learning to fully participate in the labour market. Limited proficiency of the spoken language makes them struggle to understand instructions, communicate with co-workers and supervisors, and access essential services. 

These workers endure poor working conditions, low wages, and job insecurity. Limited access to support services, particularly in rural areas that lack the infrastructure to meet their needs—including language training, skills development, and access to information about job opportunities—intensifies these issues.

Furthermore, weak cooperation among key stakeholders, along with migrants’ challenging working and living conditions, hinders trade unions and labor inspectors from locating them and providing necessary protection.

Innovation

Primacenters aims to promote multi-stakeholder efforts to facilitate the effective socio-economic integration of migrant workers, both women and men, into the primary sector. By fostering cooperation, the initiative focuses on developing and piloting tailored services and mechanisms to enhance skills recognition, provide targeted support, and ensure the protection of their rights and well-being.

Action

An investigation into the local needs, challenges, good practices, and effective employment mechanisms for migrant workers in the primary sector across all partner countries forms the basis of the Primacenters Framework. This framework outlines the scope and types of services provided, specifies the roles and responsibilities of each stakeholder, identifies the targeted populations and hosting contexts, and includes structural diagrams and flowcharts.

A range of transferable support mechanisms, services, blueprints and tools designed to facilitate integration and employment for migrants and local communities. Indicatively, these include local offer and demand mapping mechanisms, matching and referral mechanisms, training service and referral mechanisms, and community-based cultural activity schemes, such as cultural and language tandems.

A training course tailored for key stakeholders, such as employment services officers and staff from regional and local authorities, designed to enhance their understanding of the employment needs and challenges in the primary sector, the profiles and needs of migrants, and the effective adoption of the proposed mechanisms.

A report summarizing the findings and recommendations of the Primacenters initiative implemented in Greece, Spain, Italy, and Cyprus directed at policymakers. It addresses the official adoption of proposed mechanisms and services aimed at enhancing the socio-economic integration of migrant workers in the primary sector.

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or AMIF. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.

Project Partners

KMOP Policy Center, Greece
Region of Peloponnese (RoP), Greece
(Coordinator)
HEADWAY, Greece
CARDET – Center for the Advancement of Research and Development in Educational Technology, Cyprus
Cyprus Labour Institute
of the Pancyprian Federation of Labour
(INEK-PEO), Cyprus
Pro Arbeit – Kreis Offenbach – (AöR) Kommunales Jobcenter, Germany
WISA – Wir sind angekommen e.V., Germany
LAND Impresa Sociale, Italy
COCETA – Confederación Española de Cooperativas de Trabajo Asociado, Spain
 
 
 
 

 

 

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