IMDi’s efforts toward education and employment for adult immigrants

IMDi’s role includes cooperation with a variety of sectoral authorities, including the Directorate of Labour and Welfare and the Directorate for Higher Education and Competence, employers and employees’ organisations, as well as municipalities and county authorities.

The training schemes aim to ensure that adult refugees and immigrants secure a permanent attachment to the labour market and become financially independent. IMDi is responsible for following up two training schemes under the Norwegian Integration Act.

One of the initiatives that IMDi is responsible for following up is the introduction programme. This is a municipal educational programme that seeksto prepare refugees for participation in the Norwegian labour market and society through Norwegian language training and social studies, among other things. All refugees between the ages of 18 and 55 settled by an agreement between IMDi and a municipality have a right and obligation to participate in the introduction programme. The same applies to family members who arrive in the country later. The aim is that participants find employment or pursue education when he or she has completed the programme.

IMDi is also responsible for competence development of the introduction programme and has created an online guide for municipalities and other partners about programme planning and implementation. IMDi also implements competence enhancing initiatives for municipality and county authorityemployees that help  adult refugees and immigrants pursue education or find employment.

IMDi is responsible for further developing  the field of training and skills. As part of this work, IMDi administers several grant schemes. One of the grant schemes, “Jobbsjansen”, aims to increase employment among stay-at-home immigrant women who are far from the labour market and need basic qualifications.

The grant scheme towards municipal integration initiatives is intended to improve the quality and results of the municipalities’ work with helping the target group find employment or pursue education. The grant scheme will be used to test initiatives and methods and is expected to have a transfer value with regard to other municipalities. The grant scheme towards the establishment and implementation of programmes for adapted vocational education and training is intended to stimulate the county authorities to establish and implement services for adult immigrants who do not have sufficient Norwegian language skills to follow ordinary training.