Adult Refugees’ Integration in Poland: Challenges in area of education and their effects on access to the labour market

RESPOND Policy Brief [2021/17]

Authors: Justyna Szałańska, Karolina Sobczak-Szelc - Centre of Migration Research, University of Warsaw

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY  

This policy brief aims to provide a brief overview of the opportunities and challenges faced by adult refugees (both asylum seekers and beneficiaries of international protection) in Poland in areas of education, in particular Polish language learning, and access into the labour market. The two mentioned factors are mutually interlinked in the following way – whereas host country language knowledge is an indispensable condition for inclusion into the host society, entering the labour market is a confirmation of integration, providing that a refugee performs a job according to her/his qualification and skills. Like in many countries, also in Poland, refugees are neither provided with host country language opportunities enough for mastering the language nor they have a guarantee to work according to their professions due to the difficult procedure of recognition of diplomas. Furthermore, the chances for improving skills and qualifications for refugees are very limited. One explanation of such a situation is a fragmented integration policy that is dispersed among various public institutions, such as the Ministry of Family and Social Policy, Ministry of National Education and the Ministry of Science and Higher Education. The integration of refugees has not been perceived as a holistic process by the government and because of that the refugees very often are doomed to poverty and cannot get out of a vicious circle of being dependent on social welfare.

RESPOND research findings presented in this brief illustrate different shortcomings of Poland’s integration policy addressed at adult asylum seekers and beneficiaries of international protection in areas of education and labour market. Besides, brief recommendations are provided at the end of this policy brief.

Display the entire Policy Brief by clicking the button below