EMERALD
Empowering Migrant Workers for a Sustainable Future: Upskilling and Reskilling for Green and Digital Jobs
Beci is a partner in the EU-funded Erasmus+ project EMERALD that promotes up-skilling and re-skilling of migrant workers in the green and digital economy through public-private partnership models
The green and digital transitions are creating new job opportunities across Europe. At the same time, demographic changes and labour shortages make it essential to invest in the skills and potential of foreign workers already living in the EU.
The EMERALD project connects countries across Europe to address the growing demand for green and digital skills by creating tailored upskilling and reskilling pathways for migrant citizens.
Who is the project for?
Migrant workers and unemployed migrants in need of up-skilling or re-skilling, with interest in acquiring green or digital skills in Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, France, Italy, and Spain.
What we do
EMERALD will establish re-skilling labs in collaboration with employers, training providers, and public bodies. These local public-private partnerships will design training pathways that reflect the needs, sometimes conflicting, of both employers and migrant workers. These labs are the project’s main tool to address the skills gap linked to the green and digital transitions (double transition) while also supporting a more inclusive and equitable labour market (social transition) — together forming the triple transition.
What we want to achieve
- Develop a validated public-private collaborative model for upskilling and re-skilling migrant workers in green and digital sectors;
- Increase the employability of migrant workers and unemployed migrants through inclusive training opportunities focused on green and digital skills and tailored support;
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Support a threefold transition (green, digital, and social) through the dissemination and replication of the public-private collaborative model for up-skilling/re-skilling of vulnerable populations.
How we do it
Through desk research, surveys, interviews, focus groups, and consultations, involving employers and public employment services, industry experts, policy-makers, community organizations, and working and unemployed migrants, we identify skill demands and barriers to training in green and digital sectors.
These multi-stakeholder groups are created in each country, bringing together employers, public bodies, and migrant support organizations. These labs co-design training pathways and ensure programs meet labour market realities and migrant needs.
From the analysis and stakeholder input, two high-potential job profiles per country are selected for tailored training. Training is designed to be short (max 200 hours), practical, accessible (considering language and education levels), and supported by mentoring to enhance learning and retention.
Training pathways are delivered in collaboration with companies interested in employing migrants with green and digital skills. Soft skills development and job coaching are integrated to boost employability and successful job placement. 120 migrants from non-EU countries will be involved in the piloting phase.
Each participant receives individual mentorship addressing both educational and personal challenges, including psychosocial support and assistance with barriers like documentation, housing, or childcare. Special attention is given to gender-sensitive needs to ensure inclusivity. Upon completion of the training, each candidate will be assigned a job coach to create and follow a personalised job search plan.
Data collection and evaluation tools are used throughout to assess training effectiveness, stakeholder collaboration, and participant outcomes. Findings feed into developing a unified, replicable public-private collaborative model with country-specific guidelines. The model will be tested for transferability in France.
The project’s collaborative framework and methodology are designed for long-term adoption and adaptation in other sectors, regions, or vulnerable groups, supported by continuous stakeholder engagement and dissemination.
Project Partners
The project brings together 14 organisations from 6 countries, including employers’ organisations like chambers of commerce; entities providing training and support to job seekers, especially with migrant background; and experts in research and communication.
Belgium
Bulgaria
Croatia
France
Italy
Spain
The project is funded by the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) of the European Union. The European Commission support for the production of this material does not constitute an endorsement of the contents, which reflect the views only of the authors. The Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information.
