The construction sector often means the entry into the labour market for migrants and refugees, who upon arrival in the host country face strong cultural and linguistic barriers and a lack of knowledge of national policies, resulting in numerous risk factors and the possibility of being excluded from selection processes.

In this context, six institutions from the training and construction sector in Cyprus, Greece, Sweden and Spain, including Fundación Laboral, joined forces in November 2018 to carry out the In2C project with the aim of facilitating and promoting the early and effective integration of migrants and/or refugees in the sector.

The project, funded by the European Union's Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF), was coordinated by the Technical Chamber of Greece Regional Department of Central and Western Thessaly and focused on developing comprehensive training to address the linguistic, legislative and sectoral skills of these potential workers.

To conclude In2C, Fundación Laboral has organised three interactive workshops in Spain to bring together construction entrepreneurs and migrants and/or refugees with the aim of identifying the opportunities that exist in the construction sector.

The project brings together more than 50 companies, migrants and refugees

The three meetings were held in the training centres that the joint entity has in Jerez (9 September), Guadalajara (20 October) and Albacete (27 October), and were attended by 47 participants who shared the needs of companies in the sector and the challenges faced by third-country nationals when entering the labour market

Language barriers and the mistrust of starting a professional career in a new sector were some of the reasons given when explaining the obstacles to joining the sector. In the case of entrepreneurs, mostly self-employed, they highlighted lack of time and resources as the main difficulty in finding workers.

During the meetings, not only were the objectives and results of the project presented, but also the 'Construyendo Empleo' Portal, the online platform of reference for job searches in the sector.

The workshops were organised with the support and presence of Accem, an NGO that has been working for 70 years to improve the quality of life of refugees, migrants and the most vulnerable groups. The first of the meetings was attended by participants of its AccemARIADNA Programme of Socio-labour Integration for Refugees, aimed at beneficiaries of international protection, as well as members of Tharsis Betel; while the following ones were attended by users of its centres in Guadalajara and Albacete.

For the participants, the In2C workshops have provided a first contact with the sector, getting to know first-hand, through the testimonials of professionals, what it is like to work in construction and where the industry is heading. In addition, the demand for skilled labour has been discussed, which, as the sectoral agents at national level have shown, is estimated at around 700,000 more workers, who will be needed in the short term.

257 people attended the European Digital Conference of the In2C project

The final dissemination event, held entirely online and organised by the coordinator of the initiative, took place on 15 October. The final conference was broadcast on YouTube and watched by 155 attendees who followed the event in English and 92 in Greek (language of the event organiser). The audience was interested in learning about the good practices of the project and the synergies carried out by the consortium with other projects that facilitate the integration of migrants and refugees.

Tools and activities for awareness raising and integration

Throughout the project, numerous actions have been implemented, targeting migrants and refugees as well as teachers, trainees, professionals and companies. The success of In2C lies in its results:

• Terminology Glossary and Image based Technical Vocabulary, in which concepts, terms and definitions of the construction sector are collected.
• Virtual platform with basic content on Health and Safety and labour legislation.
• Compilation of the various existing tools for job search in the countries of the consortium.
• Online Competence Assessment Tool (SOnAT) to identify the competences acquired by third country nationals in Labour Law, Health and Safety and Vocabulary of the sector, thus enabling their progress towards a qualification aligned with the needs of the construction labour market.

Over 180 migrants and/or refugees were trained in labour prevention and labour legislation

During March and April this year, Fundación Laboral carried out eleven pilot experiences on Health and Safety in construction and labour legislation for more than 180 migrants and/or refugees, in its Centres in Andalusia, Las Palmas and Navarra with the collaboration of CEAR Seville and Cruz Roja Cantabria.

The European Commission support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.