Multiplier Event – Germany

DATE: 13. Dezember 2022

VENUE: Wisamar BildungsgesellschaftgGmbH, 04317 Leipzig

The participants of the multiplier event came from different educational sectors, both VET and adult education, and were learners as well as teachers and staff in educational management. nfortunately, we received a lot of cancellations at short notice due to the strong flu epidemic at that time.

Katrin Echtermeyer, who worked on the INTEGRATE project for Wisamar, first briefly presented the project idea, the goals and the partnership before going into detail about what the project wants to teach in concrete terms: the skills and competences that people with a migration background need to become entrepreneurs, using storytelling as a tool for self-marketing, but also for spreading one’s own story and entrepreneurial spirit. The INTEGRATE platform was then introduced, which provides not only the INTEGRATE online course but also all other materials from the project, such as videos of successful migrant entrepreneurs from all partner countries. Finally, the handbook was presented to help trainers implement the INTEGRATE course with learners.

In the discussion, the participants emphasised that they found the approach very exciting and could well imagine integrating modules into existing courses with migrants, for example at the Volkshochschule Leipzig, the city’s largest adult education provider. At the same time, they enthusiastically embraced the idea of biographical storytelling as a way and method to support people with a migration background in their professional development:  From the point of view of the education and counselling experts, it is essential for many immigrants to understand and convey their often not straightforward life path as a personal strength, e.g. also in job interviews.