#05/2007 newsletter

This is the 5th newsletter of the international Leonardo da Vinci Project (A/04/B/F/PP-158.130) "PreQual“ - http://www.prequaloniline.org
conducted by 7 partners from 6 countries (maiz- AT, EBG-DE, IEPALA-ES, Antigone-GR, HCA-BG, ADBI-IT, CESV-IT).
It's objective is to highlight current information and results of the project's activities.

ABSTRACT:

Migration, the labor market and care sector have been core sociopolitical issues in large-scale policy-making within Europe and throughout the globalized world. PreQual, a project developed by MAIZ in co-operation with partner organizations in several European countries, has produced a qualification program that is at the heart of where all of these issues intersect.
This handbook provides background information, methods and content of the qualification program. The curriculum was developed according to the project’s guiding principles: empowerment, awareness, participation and protagonism. This handbook is to be read, literally, as a “work-in-progress” and an applicable contribution to process- and participation-oriented political education directed at realizing similar qualification projects in different contexts. Thus, the great challenges we encountered and the extraordinary performance of all those involved in the project’s development and realization are clearly visible in the outcome.
Endeavoring to provide a qualification program and to “integrate” migrant women into the European labor market, particularly the health and care sector, not only provokes several critical questions, but also brings attention to various acute and chronic problems in current policy. (Post)colonial critiques of global developments, the necessity of recognizing migration as a fundamental right, migrant women’s indispensable contribution to Europe’s economic and political progression, equal access to the labor market, political and social rights, as well as goods and services, diligently show that a paradigm change is necessary. The urgent need for innovative approaches in the health and care sector is compounded by demographic developments and the increase in demand for employees in this sector. Thus, not only migrants are in great need of qualified, political education directed at possibilities on the labor market policies, but also the system as a whole. Here, we are not speaking of programs that offer “cosmetic” alterations to the statistics, but instead of programs that provide work opportunities with sufficient income to secure one’s own existence and offer opportunities for career advancement.
In this context, therefore, it is imperative to reassess “care” as the act of providing care and relief as a profession, the socio-economic and political impact of which is invaluable. Here, some of the essential steps include examining issues of dependence and neediness, overcoming traditional gender relations and roles, immediate improvements of working conditions and proper remuneration for care work, as well as the long-term project of reassessing and founding new principles for social work and health care. PreQual has sought to address these questions and challenges as extensively as possible within the framework of a singular qualification measure. The course offers concrete and numerous development opportunities for the migrant women course participants, as well as for the lecturers, consultants, trainers and institutions involved.

Extract of Content: I. INTRODUCTION II. PROJECT BACKGROUND     1. Socio-economic and political background     2. Women's Migration and Occupations in the Care Sector-A Solution-oriented Approach     3. Education and political antiracism III. FRAMEWORK CURRICULUM     1. Objectives and visions        1.2. Country-specific contexts           1.2.1. Austria           1.2.2. Germany           1.2.3. Italy     2. Participants (course target group)     3. General information on course implementation     4. Method         4.1. Teaching method – principles         4.2. Paulo Freire's teaching method         4.3. Principles for selecting material, texts, presentations and course organization         4.4. Examples: methodology and material     5. Content         5.1 PreQual prequalification course overview         “Intercultural Qualification for Migrant Women Entering into Health and Care Occupations”         5.2. Examples for successfully implementing PreQual based on the specific situations in each partner country     6. Self-evaluation Model IV. PREQUAL PARTICIPANTS' WORDS AND EXPERIENCES.          Bibliography          Annex

 

Leonardo da Vinci Pilot Project – PreQual
Duration October 1st, 2004 – March 31st, 2007

This Project has been funded by support of the European Commission’s Educational Programme Leonardo da Vinci. The content of this report reflects the results of the analyses performed by the project partners, and does not necessarily reflect the position of the authorities or the respective National Agencies, nor does it involve any responsibility on thezir part.

The Leonardo da Vinci programme
Leonardo da Vinci is the European Community's vocational training programme whose aim is to implement and support lifelong learning strategies in accordance with the national training strategies. In an effort to increase mobility, foster innovation and improve the quality of training, co-operation between the various players in vocational training are promoted within the framework of transnational projects