ProfilPASS in Simple Language

A methodology and a set of workshops that enables participants to participate in a journey of self-discovery using an active autobiographical method and a set of participatory activities in order to discover their competencies and individual qualities and become acquainted with social and professional interactions.

A set of activities that can assess and document participants’ competencies and self-qualities with the aim of developing a competence profile and thus support further personal and vocational development, (re-) orientation and the planning of further learning steps, with some activities focusing on real-life situations.

The ProfilPASS is a tool for identifying skills individuals have gained at some point in their lives regardless of time and context. While people gain many of their competencies in informal settings, such as family and voluntary work, they are often unaware of these competencies. The ProfilPASS process makes an important contribution to recognising and appreciating competencies that have been gained informally.

The methodology addresses people in transitional phases who are in need of orientation and counselling. The simple language in all the activities facilitates the work with new immigrants as it has been particularly adapted to their situation and needs – both regarding language, content and layout.

More specifically, working with ProfilPASS in Simple Language requires at least basic language skills. The activities of the ProfilPASS in Simple Language can be used with adult individuals of all ages and backgrounds.

The participants are expected to be able to:

• assess their competencies, abilities and skills, especially those acquired in informal environments;
• talk about themselves and reflect on their past experiences and their life stories;
• evaluate their competencies (level A: I can do it if someone helps me, Level B: I can do it alone in a certain situation, and Level C: I can do it alone, in different situations)
• develop a CV;
• strengthen their relationships with their own history, culture, and significant people and places.

The materials needed are a laptop, a projector or a projecting screen, the ProfilPASS in Simple Language for every participant, pen or pencil and erasers, and/or a notebook for every participant.

All facilitators should be aware of the methodology and the different activities to be used for the workshop. Also, the classroom should be prepared beforehand, and all the necessary materials should be gathered and made available to the participants by the facilitator, such as pencils, pens, worksheets, presentations, etc.

The ProfilPASS in Simple Language is structured alongside the central theme of a ‘Journey of Self Discovery’, thus relating the journey of discovering one’s competencies through the work with the ProfilPASS to the physical experiences of migration. The theme serves as an orientation mark within the ProfilPASS in Simple Language and motivates the participants to step by step work through the chapters, namely the stations of their journey.

1st Chapter “You Can Do More Than You Think”

The chapter guides through the initial phase of the counseling process by providing material to sort out the participant’s interests and aims for the counselling process. It also gives a brief introduction on how to work with the ProfilPASS in Simple Language. For a smooth opening of the work with the ProfilPASS and an initial stimulation of the process of self-reflection, the participants also get the opportunity to introduce themselves in a brief and low-threshold manner.

2nd Chapter “My Life – An Overview”

It serves as an initial structuring of the skills and experiences of the participant by going through the different experience stations of their lives. It further introduces the users to the 4-step scheme according to which their experience stations and the competencies are analyzed in more depth, e.g. Identify important stages, events, and activities in their lives and also look at the reasons why they did what they did; Describe the activities in more detail; Extract the skills and knowledge; Evaluate the identified skills through a rating system and assess their value.

3rd Chapter “My Experience Stations”

In this chapter, the competencies of the participants are discussed and assessed in more detail. The chapter covers different experience fields and thus reveals both formally, non-formally and informally acquired competencies. The experience fields included are the following:

• Interests, Fun and Free Time,
• Home, Neighbors and Family,
• School, Professional Education and Studies,
• Work, Job and Further Education,
• My Life In A New Country and
• Good Times, Hard Times.

4th Chapter “Now I Know What I Can Do”

It supports an interim review in the counselling process. This section will help the users find out about what they like doing best, what they do well and where there might still be room for improvement. Thus, a competence profile and particular strengths will be identified. Also, each participant classifies their extracted competencies- levels A, B, C.

5th Chapter “My Goals”

In this chapter, the participants are encouraged to systematically relate their interests to their competencies and accordingly formulate goals. On this basis, the participant works out a plan on how to achieve these goals together with the counsellor.

6th Chapter “How I Can Show What I Can Do”

The last chapter provides support on how to integrate the competencies identified in a job application. It also gives information on the general outline of a letter of application and of a CV.

The evaluation phase of the ProfilPASS in Simple Language methodology serves as a critical component in determining the effectiveness and impact of the approach. This phase ensures that both the participants and the facilitators gain valuable insights into the journey undertaken and the outcomes achieved. The evaluation is conducted through a variety of methods to capture a comprehensive understanding of the participants’ experiences and progress.

 First of all, participants are invited to share their feedback on the workshop through structured discussions. These sessions aim to gather insights on their experiences, the relevance of the material, the clarity of instructions, and the overall structure of the workshop. Questions may include: “How did you find the structure and content of each chapter?”, “Were the instructions clear and easy to follow?”, “How relevant and useful were the exercises in helping you identify your competencies?”, “What aspects of the workshop did you find most beneficial?”, “Are there any areas you feel could be improved?”

Secondly, participants’ ability to integrate their competencies into job applications, as discussed in Chapter 6, is evaluated. This includes reviewing sample letters of application and CVs created during the workshop to ensure that participants can effectively showcase their skills and experiences to potential employers. Finally, participants are encouraged to reflect on their individual experiences throughout the workshop. This involves thinking about their initial expectations, the insights gained, and the overall impact on their self-awareness and confidence. The questions for self-reflection may include: “How has your understanding of your own competencies evolved?”, “What was the most surprising discovery about your skills and experiences?”, “How do you feel about your ability to set and achieve your goals now compared to before the workshop?”, “What are your next steps in applying what you have learned?”.

There are a number of issues to be taken into account when developing and implementing a workshop and educational activities for people with a migration background. More specifically, a significant obstacle to effective learning for refugees and migrants is the language barrier. Facilitators should use clear, simple language, provide visual aids and use translation or interpretation services. Cultural differences can affect learning styles, preferences and attitudes towards education. Educators should try to use materials and examples that reflect educators’ cultural backgrounds, as well as incorporate cultural activities into the curriculum to make the learning experience more relevant and engaging for their learners. Moreover, different socioeconomic factors, such as poverty and housing insecurity can affect migrants’ ability to access education and participate in learning activities. The provision of access to affordable, stable housing, financial assistance and other forms of support could be crucial. Individuals with a migration profile are possible to have experienced trauma and stress related to their migration experiences, which can affect their ability to learn. That is why the creation of a safe and supportive learning environment and the provision of access to counselling and mental health services are considered important. Also, the focus on a more communicative and interactive approach can help to build confidence and motivation and provide opportunities for migrants to practice their various skills in real-life contexts. Lastly, educators should try to focus on tailoring the instruction to their group of learners’ needs, as migrants may have different levels of language proficiency, education and literacy skills. The need to assess learners’ needs and abilities and tailor instruction to their individual learning styles and preferences is crucial.

The size of the group depends on the available time for the workshop. For the specific workshop, the allocated time is approximately 2 hours thus the group of participants consists of around 8 individuals.

The complexity of the proposed set of activities is considered high (level 3). Depending on the learning group’s size, multiple facilitators may be needed (for a group of 8 individuals, at least 2 facilitators are needed). Also, the facilitators should be aware of the methodology and be prepared for the different phases of the workshops.