Research project Integration and Inclusion of Migrants in and Through Vocation and Work
Strong motivation, agency, language skills and supporting social networks, these are key factors for successful integration and migrants' access to their previous vocation in Sweden. In the study 20 skilled migrants and five employers’ representatives were interviewed.
In the project we focused on mechanisms that can contribute to a sustainable integration of skilled migrants in their vocations in Sweden. Generally, studies in this area tend to focus on obstacles that migrants face in the labour market. This study, however, focused on migrants, who have successfully entered their vocations in Sweden.
Findings
The results suggested that there are four main areas that need to be taken into account for when we are talking about integration and inclusion:
- Strong motivation and agency from individual’s perspective,
- language skills,
- supporting social networks both from individuals’ and workplaces’ perspectives and
- structure of opportunities from the society’s perspective.
We found that there were different pathways back to the vocation – some, like chefs, started working in their previous vocations after arriving in Sweden. Some re-entered their vocations but at a lower level such as nurses working as assistant nurses. Some re-trained themselves in a new vocation, and some further trained and worked, for example, as teachers in their vocational areas.
Usability
The results of the study will be useful for policy makers, employers and practitioners involved in designing and evaluating systems and training programmes for skilled migrants.
Please read more about the results below, under project description. A summary of the study and the results in more detail you'll find in the Brochure (pdf), link under "More information".
Project description
Societal benefits
The important societal benefit of the project is related to the integration of migrants through different pathways to their vocation and work. The results of the study also show that instead of looking at single, individual factors that facilitate employment, systemic factors should be considered.
The project will make a significant contribution by advancing knowledge of migrants’ integration in vocations and workplaces and providing practical insights from empirical work, specifically shedding light on the complexities affecting integration and pathways for skilled migrants.
These were the research questions of the study:
- What kind of pathways did the skilled migrants take to reenter their vocation in Sweden?
- What factors characterize the successful integration of skilled migrants into the communities of practice from the perspectives of employers and migrants?
- How do vocational practices facilitate migrants attaining the necessary socio-cultural skills for sustainable inclusion in their vocation?
- What kind of gender differences can be identified in migrants’ pathways to reenter their vocation and in vocational practices in different vocational areas?
Carryout
The theoretical framework of the project was based on the socio-cultural perspective, according to which we mediate the world through language, artefacts and practices. In the socio-cultural situated perspective, vocational knowledge is considered embedded in communities of practice. Data collecting methods included interviews with 20 skilled migrants and five employers’ representatives.
The research design is a comparative case study. Main data collecting methods include interviews with migrants and employers.
Project members
Project managers
Marianne Teräs
Professor
Members
Eva Eliasson
Senior lecturer
Ali Osman
Senior lecturer
Publications
More about this project
Presentations
2022
- Eva Eliasson & Marianne Teräs. Integration och inkludering av migranter i och genom yrke och arbete (2020-2022). Presentation 2/12 2022 på SFX lärardagen i Stockholms Universitet.
- Marianne Teräs, Ali Osman, & Eva Eliasson “Skilled Refugees’ and Migrants’ Pathways into Their Vocations in Sweden” Presentation 10.11. 2022, AMK- ja ammatillisen koulutuksen tutkimuspäivät 9.-10.11. 2022/Finnish Conference on Vocational and Professional Education Research. Rovaniemi, Finland.
- Marianne Teräs, Ali Osman & Eva Eliasson “Informal Learning and Inclusion of Migrants into the Labour Market” Presentation 28.9.2022, International Conference of the German Research Center for Comparative Vocational Education and Training (G.R.E.A.T.) 28.-30. September 2022. University of Cologne, Germany.
- Marianne Teräs, Eva Eliasson & Ali Osman “Migrants’ pathways into their vocation in Sweden and support they received” presentation 2.6.2022, NordYrk Conference, June 1st – 3rd 2022, Linköping, Sweden.
2021
- Marianne Teräs Key Note-presentation “Inclusion and Integration as Conceptual Resources when Studying Migration” in the Pre-seminar of the Finnish Education Research Conference 2021 network “Cultural-historical Activity Theory in the Educational Sciences” 24.11.2021.
2020
- Ali Osman höll en presentation om integration vid the Noble Prize Teacher Summit 2020. Mer information
- Marianne Teräs höll en presentation om VET-forskning vid the European Skills Week 2020 online.
Conferences held
- The 4th International VET Conference Crossing Boundaries, 8-9 April 2021, online.
Presentation and paper: Challenges Skilled Migrants Face in Accessing Their Previous Vocation in a New Country. - The NordYrk 2021 Conference, Linköping University, Sweden, June 7–9 2021, online.
Presentation: Migrants’ Inclusion and Integration into Their Vocations in Sweden. - ECER 2021, 2-6 September 2021, online.
Presentation: Migrants’ Pathways into Their Previous Vocations in Sweden.