Skills, Talent and Empowerment through Pathways

ongoing

STEP will connect skilled displaced people in need of international protection with employers in Italy Spain and Ireland, facilitating access to long-term solutions through labour pathways (LPs) into these countries. STEP will provide a foundation for LPs across Europe by assessing labour market needs and the legal, political and settlement frameworks in host countries, by testing accessibility and suitability of relevant EU tools and policy frameworks, by identifying areas for possible policy reform and by engaging and building alliances with the corporate sector and other key national and European stakeholders. STEP will generate new knowledge and partnerships which expand the evidence base needed to build and scale new LPs in other EU member states, and will foster a vibrant refugee labour mobility ecosystem in Europe which contributes to growth of complementary pathways in the medium and long term. Over three years, STEP expects to (1) establish and strengthen a supportive ecosystem and policy framework for refugee labour mobility at scale through engagement in Italy, Spain and Ireland, in other EU member states; in selected countries of first asylum; and at EU and international levels; (2) give 200 people in need of international protection effective access to labour opportunities in Italy, Spain and Ireland; (3) offer welcome and settlement support to new hires, equipping them to rebuild their lives sustainably; and (4) generate a solid basis of new evidence on LPs that will promote the development of similar programmes in other countries through exchange of lessons learnt and good practices. LPs not only offer those in need of international protection a chance to realize their potential and to contribute to their existing and new communities but are also an effective tool for newcomer empowerment and inclusion, feeding into positive migration narratives. STEP’s scope to contribute to a step-change in thinking at all levels is therefore significant.