Open Global Learning

1. to improve the conditions for asylum seekers, to ensure a smoother integration process for those who receive a residence permit or leave to remain, and a better position for those who are ultimately rejected.
2. to explore the possibilities for facilitating asylum seekers' access to the labour market and / or for maintaining and improving their individual skills and competencies during the asylum procedure.
   • UK Asylum Seekers is a national project aiming at developing an improved national programme for asylum seekers.
   • It seeks to look at the need to recognise a continuum between asylum seeking and eventual integration or return, while recognising the differences implicit in that process.
   • Scandinavian governments have for several years funded integration programmes with entitlements for individual refugees via their municipalities, whereas UK has only recently embarked on an integration strategy, less well funded and mainly implemented through strengthening the organisations established to assist refugees.
   • Both the UK and Sweden have a system of dispersal across their national territory although in the UK this is for specifically for asylum seekers while in Sweden it is also the policy for refugees during their 3-year integration period.
   • Whereas the Swedish system is very experienced in working within accommodation centres the UK will be moving towards that model during 2002-3.
   • Whereas the Swedish model has hitherto focused more on internal work within accommodation centres (including some language instruction) which will be of particular interest to BRC and partners in the UK, the UK has considerable relevant experience of working with asylum seekers within the wider community.
   • In the context of current EU debates, the UK has had experience over several years of permitting asylum seekers to work, and Sweden too has permitted asylum seekers to work after re a waiting period.
   • In both countries there is significant work to be done with employers in both the public and private sector, not least in terms of developing diversity management; whereas the UK may have had more years of experience in relation to race discrimination issues Sweden may have had more experience in relation to gender equality in particular.
   • Both DPs have partners representing those working directly with the refugee or ethnic community field, and also education institutions including universities, colleges and community-based centres of learning, local authorities, professional education / training organisations focussing on language and delivery of advice and guidance and basic skills, as well as higher education.

• Both DPs are large national projects working towards an improved process for disadvantaged people in general, in Sweden, including asylum seekers: in the UK the focus is entirely on asylum seekers.
• Both are 3-year projects.

• Refugees suffer serious problems of unemployment and underemployment and discrimination in both countries. Both countries share common underlying problems relating to the basic antipathy to asylum seekers within the broad public perception; there may be a need for the EU to fill skills gaps or labour shortages but asylum seekers are rarely seen as part (albeit a small part) of a possible solution; there is little hard evidence to date about the level of skills and experience, or about the possible contribution that asylum seekers who do eventually stay in the territory, may bring with them; there is a need to share experience about the methodologies of approach to asylum seekers with reference to their preparation for the labour market, to their own personal competencies (basic skills, host language acquisition, training, recognition of previous experiences and qualifications etc., the continuation of their own disrupted education), and their own ability to function independently, whatever the result of their asylum application.