The International Labour Organization (ILO) presented results from the EU-Bangladesh Talent Partnership Project and outlined practical measures for EU Member States to make skills recognition faster, cheaper and more practically applicable.
Speaking at an event titled: "Unlocking skills mobility: The role of European transparency tools to drive the Skills Portability Initiative and talent mobility", organized by the Irish EU Presidency and Quality and Qualifications Ireland, ILO Chief Technical Advisor Lotte Kejser presented progress under the EU-funded Talent Partnership project. It aims to upskill Bangladeshi migrant workers in various sectors to meet the skilled labour needs of select EU Member States, while supporting legal and safe migration pathways.
So far, over 1,000 beneficiaries have been trained and 776 have been assessed as competent in 12 occupations. Training combines technical skills and recognition of prior learning (RPL), language and cultural training, as well as making workers aware of their rights and fair recruitment.
The project has also developed the first public-facing website for employers and expanded the Government Overseas Employment Portal to support employer registration, job-demand submission and access to worker profiles.
The work is based on evidence gathered through skills-needs and training-needs analyses, migration corridor analysis and an assessment of Talent Partnership priority sectors. Existing higher-level qualifications have been selected across occupations that best match EU labour-market demand.
Making skills recognition more practical
The presentation highlighted a highly fragmented and complex skills recognition set-up across EU Member States. Recognition of third-country qualifications can be expensive, complex and time-consuming, while on-the-job experience valued by employers may not be recognized through RPL.
"Credible and practical skills recognition enable workers to access skilled jobs, instil greater trust and certainty of outcomes in employers, and improve access to safe, legal and skilled labour mobility reducing the incentive for irregular migration," said Kejser.
She outlined five areas for action by the European Commission and EU Member States in the short and medium term:
- Recognize experience and competence: use competency-based assessment for non-regulated occupations.
- Recognize after arrival: allow the recognition procedure to be completed alongside employment through a recognition-partnership MOU or permit.
- Trust pre-departure certification: accept joint, quality-assured assessment conducted in countries of origin, based on quality assurance and independent assessment, with participation by employer or employer's agent for additional confidence, as required
- Create one digital window: link recognition of qualifications to the EU Talent Pool, Europass, ESCO and Talent Partnership Pass.
- Cut cost, time and complexity and ensure applicable outcomes: apply short, set timelines, low fees and reduced complexity, with single points of contact and harmonization, where feasible.
The recommendations also call for employer-led recognition and acceptance of competency-based assessment evidence for non-regulated occupations, focal points in national recognition bodies, sustained joint technical working groups on standards and quality assurance, and links between certified candidates and the EU Talent Pool.
The EU-financed Talent Partnership project is implemented by the ILO together with Bangladesh's Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment and the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training, working with public and private technical and vocational education and training institutes.
