AN ONLINE training programme has been set up to help young immigrants get work in an effort to tackle high levels of unemployment among foreign nationals living in Ireland.
The Pathways to Work scheme announced yesterday is funded by the EU and is free of charge in five European countries – Ireland, Britain, Spain, Italy and Poland.
It has modules on building personal confidence and self awareness, developing communication and teamwork skills, employment rights and provides information on where to find work.
The programme was developed following in-depth research of the experience of young immigrants in the five EU states taking part in Pathways to Work.
The study of 186 immigrants found that immigrants encountered discrimination when they were searching for work.
Some 59 per cent of respondents said bureaucracy negatively impacted their job search while 56 per cent said communication skills were a barrier to securing a job.
Hailuu Netsiyanwa, a 23-year- old Zimbabwean-born Irish resident who took part in a pilot of the training course in Ireland with nine colleagues, said above all it had helped boost his confidence.
“Too often, it’s been our experience that the jobs we are offered do not match our academic qualifications or experience levels,” he said.
The study, which was co-ordinated by the University of Szczecin in Poland, found the experience of young immigrants seeking jobs in all five countries was very similar.
A recent study by the Economic and Social Research Institute found between the start of 2008 and the first quarter of 2010 the number of migrants employed fell 30 per cent, compared to a fall of 9 per cent for Irish nationals.
A separate study by the institute found non-Irish nationals are three times more likely to report that they have experienced discrimination while looking for work than Irish nationals.
For details of the Pathways to Work scheme see pathwaystowork.eu