Objective 18: Invest in skills development and facilitate mutual recognition of skills, qualifications and competences

The Migration Partnership Facility (MPF) is a European Union (EU)-funded initiative supporting the external dimension of EU migration policy. Launched in January 2016, the MPF supports dialogue and cooperation on migration and mobility between EU Member States and priority partner countries outside the EU.  

The MPF, currently in its fourth phase, operates mainly through grants aligned with priorities outlined in its Calls for Proposals. MPF grants cover two main thematic areas:

The Government of India launched an initiative SWADES (Skilled Workers Arrival Database for Employment Support) to conduct skill mapping of the returning citizens under the Vande Bharat Mission (VBM). SWADES was a joint initiative of the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, the Ministry of Civil Aviation and the Ministry of External Affairs which aimed to create a database of returning citizens based on their skill sets and experience.

A skills profiling tool that can support skills mapping initiatives. This project aimed at facilitating better integration of Syrian refugees resettled to the UK, Germany, Portugal, and Romania. The project involved pre-departure skill profiling, post-arrival integration support and information sharing with host communities to support mutual learning and exchange.

Migration of African Talents through Capacity building and Hiring (MATCH) is a 39‑month initiative funded by the European Union (EU) aimed at providing skilled talents to European private sector companies whose needs for qualified staff could not be satisfied by the offer available on the EU labour market. 

By joining MATCH, companies from Belgium, Italy, The Netherlands and Luxembourg were supported with the sourcing and pre-selection of African talents from Senegal and Nigeria, two countries offering a surplus of qualified professionals.

Young Generations as Change Agents (YGCA) is a mobility scheme between Morocco and Spain for studying purposes, enabling Moroccan post-graduates to enhance and strengthen their skills through a master’s degree in Spain. A selection of students has the opportunity to subsequently launch tailored projects upon their return to Morocco, through which they will have the opportunity to contribute to the development of specific key social and economic sectors and positively affect their communities of origin.

The project seeks to boost youth employability and overcome skill mismatches by mobilising cooperation between local authorities, private sector, universities and other stakeholders in France, Morocco, Tunisia and Egypt to offer mobility placements for 6-month internships in French companies of various sectors.

This project assisted host community members and SuTPs in gaining access to formal employment through the delivery of a vocational training programme, developing beneficiaries’ vocational and technical skills. This intervention created livelihood opportunities in the local market for programme graduates, specifically focused on the production of niche agri-food products with strong and stable consumer demand.

FAO supported the vocational skills of Syrians under Temporary Protaction (SuTPs) in the food and agriculture sector to improve their access to employment opportunities. Building on assessment results showing significant shortage of skilled and semi-skilled labour in the sector in southern and south-eastern Turkey, FAO in partnership with UNHCR and the private sector carried out vocational trainings in the agriculture, food processing and livestock sectors for unemployed SuTPs and host communities.