Description (short summary):
The study examines the effects of non governmental organisations (NGO) e-skills training programmes on the employability and social inclusion of immigrant women in Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, Hungary, and Romania (as a source country). It investigates the social and economic trajectory of five hundred and thirty women who have received e-Skills training and employability support services in thirty-two NGOs. The study provides insights into the challenges facing immigrant women in the labor market, the role of NGOs e-Skills training and employability programmes, and public policies and programme elements that could further promote social, economic, and cultural participation of immigrant women in the EU.

The conceptual framework builds on Amartya Sen's capabilities approach, as well as on the EU's Framework on Key Competences for Lifelong Learning. Based on a survey of 375 immigrant and 155 native-born women, and supplemented by interviews with staff at non-government organisations, this research examines three interrelated paths that, possibly, lead to improved employability: education and lifelong learning, social inclusion, and cultural inclusion.

Findings suggest that strengthening e-skills among immigrant women is an important factor in advancing along these three paths, potentially improving women's position in the labor market. In addition, NGOs play a pivotal role in fostering social, economic, and cultural integration and in promoting many of the competences identified by the European Union as critical to succeed in today's labor market.

The research was co-led by Maria Garrido from the University of Washington's Technology & Social Change Group and Gabriel Rissola in collaboration with Andrea Diaz (Dynamic Organization Thinking), Italian researchers Milvia Rastrelli and Jaime Ruiz (L'apis), and associate researchers Tiberiu Dughi, Daniel Manate (University of Arad, Romania), Jennifer De Vaal (University of Applied Science in Amsterdam), and Gabriella Simor (independent researcher in Hungary).

Number of pages: 122