Paper long abstract:

As transforming labour markets, shifting workforce demographics and the growing mobility of workers urge new skills and labour requirements, more than ever, there is a need for a global approach to skilled migration. While skilled migration is not a new phenomenon, it has not always been to the benefit of all involved parties, that is migrants, states, employers, training and education institutions and communities. In particular traditional approaches to skilled migration tend to benefit labour markets and employers in destination countries. Origin countries, in turn, often bear the costs associated with the emigration of skilled workers, which then might be missing in the local labour market. Against this backdrop, policymakers have increasingly turned to an all party-benefiting alternative: Skills Mobility Partnerships (SMPs). Rooted in SDG 4, 8 and 10 and expressly called for in Objective 18 of the Global Compact for Migration, SMPs offer an innovative tool that is centered around worker's skills formation and development, while placing special emphasis on multi-stakeholder collaboration.

When implemented effectively, SMPs can help destination countries meet skill shortages and labour market needs, improve migrant's skills sets, and thereby career prospects, and not least contribute to country of origins' development through a better trained workforce according to international qualification standards, remittances, capacity building and skills transfer. By design, SMPs consider participant's previously earned degrees, qualifications and competences at all skill levels. Through cost sharing and joint program conduct between stakeholders, the expenses for training local workers and future migrants are kept low. Having completed a training which meets the needs also of the local labor market, trained workers now have the choice of whether they will join the local labour market, or go for deployment abroad, where they will be placed in jobs corresponding to their skill level. Upon completion, migrants' skills and experiences are recognized, and accordingly certified, by all parties of the Partnership.

IOM will present case studies of successful skills mobility partnerships from Tunisia, Morocco and Egypt in this panel to illustrate how knowledge development in North Africa can be innovated and done in true partnership between countries of origin and countries of destination.

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