What Europe is doing for Ukraine refugees

Members of ReferNet, the network of institutions created by Cedefop in 2002 to provide information on national VET systems and policies in the European Union Member States, Iceland and Norway, discussed ways to deal with the repercussions of the war in Ukraine in the VET field in their annual forum in early April.

To follow up on related developments at national level and maintain a valuable record of the situation throughout receiving countries, ReferNet members have compiled a body of separate reports, which provide a snapshot of the refugee influx in each country as well as the ways in which national governments and VET systems try to ensure the refugees’ access to education and work.

EU Member States act in line with the European Commission’s support measures to help Member States meet the needs of refugees and the Cohesion's Action for Refugees in Europe (CARE) allowing Member States and regions to provide emergency support to people fleeing the war in Ukraine.

Cedefop has been specifically investigating the potential of skills-based pathways to refugee protection and employment as part of a research project. Find out more in episode 4 of Cedefop's Skillset and match podcast.

Each ReferNet national partner is a key organisation involved in VET in the country it represents; their reports depict how national authorities have been rolling out actions aiming to:

• speed up access of refugees to schooling and VET, adjusting enrolment requirements and even providing scholarships;
• provide support to refugees and their families as well as structures catering for their needs;
• help refugees acquire the necessary language skills;
• enable their access to the labour market through simplified procedures and job-skills matching initiatives.

For the complete set of the ReferNet national reports click here.