Promotion of the competences and skills of migrants is essential to their fast and fair inclusion into the labour market of their host country. As the European Commission outlines in its Action Plan on Integration and Inclusion 2021-2027, this can be promoted by facilitating the recognition of qualifications acquired in third countries, promoting their visibility and increasing comparability with European/EU qualifications. This can be carried out in conjunction with offering bridging courses: such courses support migrants by complementing the education and training they acquired abroad for such purposes as access to practise in a regulated profession, to certain job opportunities, or to training. 

Using questionnaires completed by its network of national integration experts across the EU, the Editorial Team of the European Website on Integration (EWSI) produced this analysis to map the policies and practices in Member States for the provision of bridging courses to third-country national migrants whose skills, qualifications and experiences are not, or are only partially, recognised in the Member State in which they reside. This analysis identifies the specific objectives for which bridging courses are offered to third-country nationals, provides an overview of the availability and accessibility of these courses and relevant qualification recognition processes, highlights good practices and presents common challenges. Where possible and applicable, the analysis differentiates between provisions for beneficiaries of subsidiary protection, recognised refugees, beneficiaries of temporary protection, third-country nationals arriving via family reunification processes, and third-country nationals arriving for economic reasons (both short- and long-term permits).

EWSI integration experts were asked to carry out desk research of approximately two days to complete the analysis questionnaire. Relevant information was difficult to find in this time in many Member States. Only available information on what currently exists is presented: this analysis does not expand upon plans that a Member State may be developing for the establishment of, for example, qualification recognition services and/or bridging courses.

• Member States take a variety of approaches to the promotion of labour market integration for third-country nationals, including in relation to the provision of bridging courses. Questionnaire feedback and examples of good practices shared by EWSI integration experts clearly demonstrate that bridging courses are understood and used differently across the EU.
• Generally, Member States were found not to have a comprehensive approach to provision of bridging courses at the national level, although in some state actors collaborate effectively with institutions to provide a large number of bridging opportunities.
• Feedback demonstrated not only the importance of these courses – as well as of recognition processes – for third-country nationals but also the importance of facilitating access to them. Although many Member States offer bridging courses for which third-country nationals are in theory eligible, these courses are sometimes not effectively accessible to them, for example because of limited information on available options. Together with other challenges, such as insufficient language support, high costs and lengthy recognition processes, this can result in slower labour market integration of third-country nationals. In this context, several experts emphasised the issue of so-called ‘brain waste’, i.e. persons working below their level of skills and qualifications.
• Many examples of good practices exist across Member States. These include various types of bridging support available to healthcare professionals from third countries, (free) language learning support, programmes that specifically target recognised refugees, initiatives designed to facilitate labour market access for third-country nationals, and many more.
• Further promotion and discussion of existing good practices, involving integration and recognition specialists from Member States as well as relevant institutions and training providers, would promote the replication and expansion of these practices, foster cooperation between the different actors, and contribute to the faster and more sustainable labour market inclusion of third-country nationals.

To read the full analysis, download the pdf document below.