The contribution of migration to economic growth has been acknowledged in Europe 2020, the EU growth strategy to achieve a smart, sustainable and inclusive economy. Indeed migration can help alleviate some of the biggest challenges faced by EU Member States, such as ageing population or weak economic growth. However, migration will only deliver its full benefits if migrants have the opportunity to fully integrate into the host society and be an active part of the workforce.
In light of this, the Austrian Integration Fund (ÖIF), a fund of the Republic of Austria, has been providing ECDL computer skills certification to migrants in its Integration Centre in Vienna since 2010. ECDL is the leading international computer skills certification programme. The courses provide digital skills for migrants and asylum beneficiaries in order to facilitate their integration in the Austrian society and labour market.
In today’s workplace, employees are increasingly required to have the ability to use technology efficiently and effectively. The ECDL programme offered at the ÖIF Integration Centre enables migrants to acquire digital skills which will help them to be more attractive on the labour market. So far more than 430 migrants undertook one of the ECDL courses in Vienna.
Policy Context
A growing number of EU Member States are faced with an ageing population, a stagnating or even declining working population, record high unemployment and weak economic growth. Migration is one way to respond effectively to these challenges and to ensure that the EU remains an innovative and competitive economic player at the global level. Facilitating the integration of migrants is essential to maximise the contribution of migrants to economic growth in the EU.
Europe 2020, the EU’s growth strategy for the coming decade, has identified labour migration policy as one of the policy instruments to respond to the needs of labour markets. One of the headline targets for inclusive growth is to raise the employment rate in the EU to 75% by getting more people into work, and in particular legal migrants.
In this context, the Integration Centre was setup as a one-stop shop for labour market oriented integration of migrants and asylum beneficiaries in Austria. The Integration Center offers German language courses, job-specific trainings, and IT certifications such as the ECDL programme.
The Integration Centre is part of the Austrian Integration Fund (ÖIF). The ÖIF is a fund of the Republic of Austria working in close collaboration with the Federal Ministry of the Interior. It provides comprehensive services to facilitate the linguistic, professional and social integration of migrants in Austria.
The ÖIF is also responsible for evaluating, managing, and monitoring in Austria submitted projects funded by the European Integration Fund. The European Integration Fund provides support to EU Member States efforts to enable non-EU nationals to integrate into European society.
Description of target users and groups
ECDL computer skills certification is offered to migrants in order to support their professional and social integration in Austria. Given that an increasing number of jobs require digital skills, it’s important to ensure that migrants receive appropriate skills to meet labour market requirements. Furthermore, by undertaking ECDL certification, migrants not only acquire digital skills, they also have the opportunity to learn technical ICT vocabulary in German, which is essential to succeed in the workplace. In other words, migrants’ professional qualification goes hand in hand with language improvement.
There is a good gender balance among participants. Indeed 52% participants are men and 48% are women. The ECDL programme is particularly popular in the 25-34 and 35-44 age groups. The majority of participants originate from Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, and Russia. There are also groups of participants from former Yugoslavian countries and from various parts of Africa.
Description of the way to implement the initiative
ECDL computer skills certification is offered at the ÖIF’s Integration Centre which focuses on labour market-oriented integration. The full ECDL certification programme was launched in 2010. Since then, it has been offered to migrants together with a course for total beginners. The Austrian Integration Fund extended its course offering in autumn 2011, and included ECDL Advanced courses. What initially started as an experiment became an overwhelming success. The advanced modules have become one of the most successful courses offered because they help increase migrant’s employability by equipping them with strong digital skills.
Technology solution
The Austrian Integration Fund offers the ECDL computer skills certification programme which consists of modules defining the skills and competencies necessary to be a proficient user of a computer and common computer applications. In order to achieve the ECDL certification and to be considered as digitally competent, individuals must pass a test for each of the seven modules. ECDL expert modules give the opportunity to be certified at an 'expert level' in the use of the specific application type, acquiring skills sets over and above the routine features of the software
ECDL Foundation’s certification programmes are vendor neutral. This means that the programmes are not tied to any one brand of software and are designed to enable people to gain skills that can be used in any appropriate software environment. This vendor neutrality gives people the freedom and flexibility to complete the training and testing, and demonstrate skills in a wide range of software applications.
Technology choice: Standards-based technologyMain results, benefits and impacts
Since 2010, when the ECDL programme was launched at Integration Centre Vienna, 210 migrants have been enrolled in the full ECDL programme and 220 migrants undertook the ECDL Advanced programme. In today's workplace, employees are increasingly required to have the ability to use technology efficiently and effectively. Consequently employers expect job applicants to have computer skills prior to being hired. This means that providing migrants with the right skills will help them to be more attractive to potential employers and to progress further in their careers.
Ms Hui Yu from Wuhan in China is a positive example of the benefits that ECDL certification can bring to migrants. This 49-year-old professor taught mathematics and chemistry at a Chinese college before she came to Austria in 2005. Basic computer and Internet skills were vital for her to find work in Austria: “When I was a student, computers were not as important as they are today and I had never used one. I wanted to learn to use word-processing softwares, the Internet and other applications. The ECDL made it possible to achieve this goal”.
Return on investment
Return on investment: Not applicable / Not availableTrack record of sharing
The Integration Centre in Vienna was the first of its kind to add the ECDL skills certification programme to its course offering. Given the important interest for the ECDL programme among migrants, it was decided to roll-out the ECDL courses to the four other Integration Centres across Austria.
The popularity among migrants of the ECDL skills certification programme offered at the Integration Centres highlights the positive role of digital skills to empower migrants and to foster their professional and social integration. Given that the ECDL programme is available in more than 35 Europeans countries, this type of project could be replicated and scaled up across the continent.
Lessons learnt
IT Certification Bolsters Migrant’s Integration in the Labour Market
The high degree of satisfaction and participation in the ECDL programme offered at Integration Centre shows that IT certification is helpful for all individuals, and especially marginalised people, wishing to progress further in their lives and careers. It also makes migrants more attractive to potential employers who want skilled employees able to contribute to achieving the goals of the business in the most efficient, effective, and productive manner.
Public Funding of IT Skills Certification Programmes is Valuable to Upskill Migrants
The ÖIF provides financial support to socially disadvantaged migrants who would otherwise not be able to finance the ECDL courses themselves. This is a good example of how public funding can be used to provide access to certification programmes for marginalized groups. Such programmes increase chances for migrants to find employment and help to reduce social care costs once migrants integrate the workforce.
Long-term IT Training Develops Migrants’ Tech Vocabulary
The ÖIF offers comprehensive ECDL training. The full ECDL course consists of 240 training units and the ECDL advanced course of 140 training units. This prolonged training period has a positive effect on the language skills of migrants. With the ECDL training participants expand their vocabulary learned technical vocabulary related to ICT which is essential in the information society.
Scope: National