Denise Jillions, director of credentialing initiatives and special projects at WES Global Talent Bridge, served on an international panel on the recognition of skills and qualifications of migrants on May 3 in Geneva. Sponsored by the Global Forum on Migration and Development and the International Labor Organization, the workshop is part of consultations supporting the United Nations Global Compact on Migration, in which WES has been participating since 2016.
The panel focused on the need to recognize qualifications of migrant workers, and to support the training of workers based on assessment of skills and needs of employers.
In her presentation Jillions described WES initiatives that rely on facilitated referrals and partnerships, new tools and research to support employers, and innovative policies and programs to support skilled immigrant integration in the U.S. and Canada.
WES assesses academic credentials and professional qualifications from over 180 countries and compares them to those earned in the host country, providing a basis for employers to judge the skills and competencies of internationally-educated candidates. WES’s Global Talent Bridge program addresses challenges migrants face in using their foreign qualifications by focusing on systemic barriers to labor mobility and integration, facilitating access to opportunities that build on prior education and experience, and raising awareness of skills and competency assessment.
The panel also featured Ambassador Ramses Joseph Cleland, permanent representative, Permanent Mission of Ghana to the United Nations Office at Geneva; Alex Zalami, advisor to the minister of human resources and emiratisation, United Arab Emirates; Jean-Christophe Dumont, head of the International Migration Division, Directorate for Employment at Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development; and Paul Comyn, senior skills and employability specialist, International Labour Organization Skills and Employability Branch.
