Nasc’s Research on Education, Employment and Enterprise
"Evaluating Barriers to Employment and Education
for Migrants in Cork"

Why this Research?
Although there are some general needs analyses of the needs of migrants in Cork, there is not enough detail on the exact nature of the reasons why migrants cannot access work and education.  Although Nasc has an indepth understanding of some of the barriers which exist, we have found that it is necessary to document and provide independent research on this in order to progress policy issues at a strategic, political and policy level.  We wish to document the reasons why migrants are finding it difficult to access either the labour market or appropriate education/training courses.  This research will be used to inform our policy work and the direction which we will take when working with other interested stakeholders in Cork City in particular.

Purpose of this Research
This research aims to identify the following:

  • Why is there a high percentage of unemployment amongst refugee and people with leave to remain in Ireland?  Unpublished research for RIA by Piaras Mac Einri and Liam Coakley of the Department of Geography, UCC shows a figure of 70%.  Nasc wishes to ascertain if this indicative figure based on an non representative sample is true of the broader population and if so why.  It is expected that the researcher verifies unemployment figures using census data when it becomes available.
  • What barriers exist for migrants to Ireland who are seeking work (refugees, people with leave to remain, other categories e.g. those under family reunification schemes, eastern Europeans).  This may refer to those who are unemployed or to those who are seeking employment appropriate to their qualifications.
  • What can we learn from those who are in paid employment about their experiences in the workplace, including issues of racism and discrimination.
  • What are the factors which inhibit access to appropriate education/training, for migrants to Ireland (refugees, asylum-seekers, people with leave to remain, other categories e.g. those under family reunification schemes, eastern Europeans).

Findings of our research
The results of the research are now available.
Document: Barriers to Employment and Education Research Report
(pdf = 823KB: Right-click and “Save As” to download)

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