Vocational training of young asylum seekers in host countries

Order 580 (2002)

Author(s):

Parliamentary Assembly

Origin

Text adopted by the Standing Committee, acting on behalf of the Assembly, on 26 March 2002 (see Doc. 9380, report of the Committee on Migration, Refugees and Demography, rapporteur: Mrs Zwerver).

Thesaurus

1. The Assembly, referring to its Recommendation 1552 (2002) on vocational training of young asylum seekers in host countries, believes that young asylum seekers are an important element of the overall human capital of the host society.

2. The Assembly notes that some economic sectors of the Council of Europe member states present a structural shortage of workforce, accompanied by an unwillingness amongst citizens to take up employment in some of those sectors.

3. Thousands of asylum seekers live in Council of Europe member states, and many of them are competent and willing to take up those positions. In most member states, however, asylum seekers face legal and practical barriers to access to the labour market, often irrespective of the length of time that the authorities take to reach a final decision on their asylum application.

4. Therefore the Assembly instructs its Committee on Migration, Refugees and Demography to:

i conduct an in-depth examination, leading to a report to the Assembly, on the obstacles that asylum seekers face in having access to the labour market of the Council of Europe member states and, in particular, to review national laws on access to employment for asylum seekers;

ii analyse, together with the Committee on Culture, Science and Education, the broader issue of education and training of young migrants in Council of Europe member states.