Nasc’s Employment, Enterprise and Education Symposium

Nasc, The Irish Immigrant Support Centre, hosted a One-Day Symposium entitled "Integrating The Future".

The Symposium brought together representatives and emissaries from many of the key stakeholders in Ireland relating to the issue of the Integration of Migrants, and the overall aim of the conference was linked to Advancing Local Solutions for Migrant Employment, Enterprise and Education in Cork City.

Keynote Addresses by:

• Dr. Eamonn Noonan, Director of KIM, Norway’s Contact Committee for Immigrants and the Authorities
  ‘How Norway approaches integration’

• Patrick Wintour, Employability Forum, UK
  ‘The integration and employment of migrants in the UK labour market’

• Jack Jedwab, Executive Director, Association for Canadian Studies

Paul Dunbar, Consultant Researcher, then presented his research findings on Migrant Access and Participation in Education/Employment in Cork.

Several local people shared their experiences of migration to Cork, following which Niamh Linehan, of the National Qualification Authority for Ireland (NQAI), who addressed the audience with a talk about Recognition of Foreign Qualifications in Ireland.

The afternoon sessions involved the formation of seven workgroups dedicated to discussion of the following topics:
Qualifications Recognition, English Language Provision, Access To Education, Discrimination in the Workplace, Information Provision, Tackling Unemployment and Supporting Ethnic Enterprise.

There followed a plenary session, at which each workgroup presented to the main body their findings, recommendations and views.

Conclusion: The Symposium was very well attended and it is hoped that it will prove to have been a catalyst with regard to future recommendations for positive change in Cork in particular, and in Ireland in general , with respect to the Future of Integration.

Multimedia:
Integrating the Future is now available on DVD. Please contact Nasc to arrange viewing.
Also find a condensed version of the Topics Covered in the Symposium.

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