about:
“bASic Stem compETences for migrantS” (ASSETS), is a 24-months Strategic Partnership in the Field of Adult Education, aims at promoting and developing relevant and high-quality skills and competences related to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) for migrants, who pursue to promote their career in relevant job positions, either as employees or self-employed. Moreover, ASSETS promotes social inclusion of migrants in EU countries by empowering them to enter the job market through newly acquired competencies.
The walking routes will be specified based on parts of well-established walking routes such as West Highland Way in Scotland and the seven official routes of the St. James Way in Spain. In October 1987, the most popular route of the St. James Way, the French Way, was declared the first European Cultural Route by the Council of Europe. The St. James Way brings people together and creates an atmosphere of intercultural understanding. The route has also kept small villages in Spain from becoming unpopulated. It is for these reasons that we believe a similar approach could also enhance the economic and cultural opportunities in other areas of Europe. The walking routes will also include information about wider sustainability goals, such as the importance of conserving water in drier areas such as Greece and Spain, and also natural resources, which will be one of the main innovative aspects of this project. The routes will also make an emphasis on physical and mental health and will include mindfulness activities for people to practice during the walks. Participants will be signposted by the mobile application to the local cuisine and recipes also available through the. Cuisine is also an intrinsic part of European culture and heritage, with recipes going back for millennia and learning about them will also provide an opportunity for participants to learn about nutrition and sustainable food systems. Lastly, the routes will allow for the inclusion of people with fewer opportunities to be able to do them too.
ASSETS target group involves in the project will be composed by:
direct target group: Adult educators, trainers, social workers working with migrants;
indirect target group: migrants (aged 21+) who are facing difficulties in terms of access to jobs.
For the purpose of this project is to develop innovative ups-killing paths in STEM for both target groups involved, using an interdisciplinary approach.
ASSETS will achieve the above-mentioned fundamental objectives through n. 4 transnational meetings, n. 3 intellectual outputs, n. 1 training activity and n. 6 multiplier events.
Therefore, all the efforts of the partners involved are based on the following data and assumptions:
“Importance of overcoming language barriers and facilitating the recognition of qualifications as a major shared challenge for the socio-economic inclusion of EU migrant workers and
their access to the labour market (OECD, 2019)”;
“STEM skills are increasingly in demand by employers in a wide range of sectors. These skills help promote systemic and critical thinking in different sectors and are not limited to just
four subjects. Due to the increasing digitization of society and the world of work, the demand for STEM skills will only increase (BusinessEurope,2019)”;
In addition to these points, the latest PISA test available at the OECD (2018) shows that all countries involved in the partnership, except Germany which can be a leader in best practice, scored below average. This demonstrates the need to renew and innovate current methodologies for STEM skills and knowledge development.
- The state of Art for migrants’ access to the labor market faced by adults’ migrants (IO1). A training Format “Migrants and STEM” will be developed and piloted during the Short-term joint staff training events. The Joint Staff mobility will involve Adult educators, trainers, social workers who are working with migrants. The development of format training course (IO1) devised in three specifics modules called ASSETS motivational content, ASSETS mapping of STEM related careers and ASSETS content knowledge.
- Implementation of local workshops of STEM competences in which migrant will participate. During it, e-training material will be realized as well as Platform “Enhancing migrants through STEM competence” (IO2) which is an interactive online platform that contains specific modules focus on the effectiveness of ASSETS learning methodology on migrants and social workers.