Within the European community migrant workers often lack a good knowledge of the factors related to culture, citizenship and employability that they will have to deal with in their new country. More precisely, they may know litlle about how occupational sectors function , the drawbacks of some jobs and the expectations of employers. Their own preconceptions of social, political and cultural environments are frequently very far from the new reality they will have to cope with. In addition, some do not possess the basic vocabulary linked to the job they are seeking and are not able to manage their time in the working situation In this new context.

Two occupational sectors :
The project focuses on the Cleaning and Building and Construction sectors as they are identified as facing recruitment difficulties, in particular among young people, and which often employ ( or are willing to employ) workers coming from other European countries . The materials and tools developed within the project could be further, transferred and adapted to other occupational fields and jobs.

One objective :
to prepare and facilitate the migration of workers between European countries or into the European Community , by providing the necessary knowledge in terms of new social codes and ways of life, legislation, employement law, the requirements and constraints of some occupational fields and companies of the « welcoming » country and the basic vocabulary to learn and use in order to work in the desired job.

The partnership will deliver a practical guide providing simple and easy- to- understand information, in the native language of each country involved , for the occupational fields targeted. This guide will be complemented by training tools that focus on the development of two specific key competences expected by « welcoming » countries: Time management in the workplace and basic vocabulary related to the jobs that participants are seeking.

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Links
Official UK Border Agency,
UK Border Agency, Visa Services
Health and Safety Executive
Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner
Support and information for migrants In the UK HSMP Forum
Migrant and Refugee Communities Forum
Migrant Helpline
Migrant Rights Network
Migrants' Rights Scotland
Migrant Organisations' Development Agency
Differences between the Polish and British education system
British Council: UK Education Systems
Planning to come to the UK Workpermit.com
Global Visas
Immigration Matters
Both before arriving and while working in the UK My UK Info (Polish)
My UK Info (Lithuanian)
My UK Info (English)
My UK Info (Spanish)
My UK Info (Romanian)
My UK Info (Slovak)
Trade unions Trades Union Congress
Worksmart from the TUC
UNITE
GMB
Building sector Health and Safety Executive, Fire Safety in Construction
Construction Skills Network
Cleaning and Support Services Association
European Cleaning Journal
Education and training General Union Learn with the TUC
LSN Making learning work
Skills Funding Agency
Cleaning Asset Skills
Building Construction Skills
SummitSkills, the Sector Skills Council for the building services engineering sector
Learning English British Council guide to providers
Learn English online including pronunciation guides BBC World Service
British Council learnEnglish
Learn English
Learn English with English at Home,
ESL Gold
How J Say: A free online Talking Dictionary of English Pronunciation
Forvo: All the words in the world - pronounced (English), Pronunciation guides Swedish Stockholm School of Economics: A guide to pronunciation,
German University of Portsmouth: A guide to German Pronunciation,
Forvo: All the words in the world - pronounced (German)
French Forvo: All the words in the world - pronounced (French)
Academic research Compass University of Oxford, Migration Research
Refugee, Asylum and Migration Network, University of Glasgow
Articles Haque, R. (2002)

Migrants in the UK: their characteristics and labour market outcomes and impacts, London, Home Office, Spencer, S., Ruhs, M., Anderson, B. And Rogaly B. (2007)

Migrants' lives beyond the workplace: The experiences of Central and East Europeans in the UK, York, Joseph Rowntree Foundation, Trades Union Congress (2007)

The Economics of Migration: Managing the impacts, London, TUC,

McKay, S., Craw, M. And Chopra, D (2006), Migrant workers in England and Wales: An assessment of migrant worker health and safety risks, London, Health and Safety Executive,