In many EU Member States, refugees and asylum seekers must navigate a maze of different services to receive language training or skills and employment advice, or have their qualifications recognised. This can be extremely difficult due to language barriers and administrative differences between countries, and without support, vulnerable individuals can get lost in the system.

Funded by the EU Programme for Employment and Social Innovation (EaSI), the ‘Regional Accelerators (RIAC) project developed 21 de-centralised units spread across Germany, Italy, Denmark and Turkey to help with the quick integration of refugees and asylum seekers into the labour market.

The experts working in these units identified employers with suitable vacancies, and actively involved them in the recruitment of refugees and asylum seekers. In parallel, they provided lifelong learning opportunities (including language support) and assistance with employment. This included support with self-employment, as around 30 % of refugees were self-employed in their home countries.

With the help of her local RIAC unit, Medhanit found a fulfilling career in care. ‘After three months in an internship at a nursing home, I know what I want,’ she says.

Like Medhanit, Aisha found work in the care sector with help from RIAC. She emphasises the impact of accessing language support: ‘All doors open to me with language,’ she says. ‘My language is much better now. I am more ready to work, and I can grow bigger networks of friends and colleagues.’

In total, the RIAC project attracted 756 participants and successfully integrated 224 people like Medhanit and Aisha into the job market. Questionnaires that were disseminated among 283 employers, refugees and asylum seekers during two site visits found that RIAC was more efficient than traditional services in engaging the target group and in speeding up the labour-market integration process.