About
A European Project on Employment Creation and Empowerment of Immigrants
New Beginnings is an Erasmus+ partnership project aimed at strengthening the self-confidence, employability, and entrepreneurial mindset of immigrants. The project is led by the Directorate of Labour in Iceland and carried out in collaboration with several European partners, including APAEM – the Public Employment Service in Madrid, Rinova in Spain, Inova Aspire in the Netherlands, and Elan Intercultural in France. These partners have extensive experience in developing and delivering training for the target group.
The project is built on utilizing the skills, experience, and social and cultural capital of immigrants and supporting them in creating their own opportunities, starting businesses, and actively participating in society.
The goal is to empower immigrants through training, peer education, and guidance, so that they can identify their strengths, develop business ideas, and gain knowledge of the employment landscape and regulatory framework of their new country. The project encourages networking and social engagement, thereby improving the social status and quality of life of the participants.
Immigrants often face numerous obstacles, such as complex administrative systems, language and cultural barriers, prejudice, limited access to funding, and a lack of professional networks. Additionally, it can be challenging to make use of education and work experience from their home country in a new environment. By providing guidance and training grounded in positive psychology and a strengths-based approach, the project aims to enhance the resilience, self-confidence, and self-belief of the participants.
The project has two main components:
The training sessions cover how to harness individual strengths when developing ideas, the importance of self-confidence, the impact of bias, and how tools like mind maps and models such as Ikigai and TIMED can assist in shaping business concepts.
They also explore the importance of understanding how migration and social factors influence individual experiences, with a focus on concepts such as unconscious bias and intersectionality. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is used to illustrate how personal development and social status impact employability and entrepreneurial capacity.
A strong emphasis is also placed on network building and how participants can develop a personal brand. Participants learn to map and grow their networks, understand how connections can be critical in business, and how personal values and strengths shape their own “brand.” This is symbolized with the metaphor of a tree:
The project highlights the importance of activating the cultural capital and strengths of immigrants and creating real opportunities for employment and social inclusion—opportunities that benefit not only the individuals themselves but society.