Academy on Labour Migration

Today there are an estimated 258 million international migrants around the world, the majority of whom are migrant workers.  Globalization, demographic shifts, conflicts, income inequalities and climate change will encourage ever more people to cross borders in search of employment and security.  Yet, the migration process entails complex challenges in terms of governance, migrant workers' protection, migration and development linkages and international cooperation.

The Academy on Labour Migration (LMA) offers participants a unique opportunity to benefit from a diversified training package, exploring fair and effective labour migration governance, linkages between migration and sustainable development, and instruments and mechanisms for protecting migrants' and their families' rights. Participants will tailor-make their own two-week course by choosing from several elective courses, and will benefit from an innovative and dynamic learning environment.

Have a look at the following video to know more about the target audience, the objectives, the content and the methodology of the course:

Click here to download the flyer of the course in English with additional information .

The LMA aims at providing advanced knowledge and enhancing the capacity of key migration actors to better understand labour migration challenges and opportunities in a changing political, economic and social context.

It covers a wide range of labour migration cross-cutting themes, such as the protection of men and women migrant workers, fair and effective labour migration governance, and linkages between migration and sustainable development. At the end of the LMA, participants will be able to:

• Understand and address key issues and policies regarding labour migration at the global and regional level, and also from a gender perspective;
• Promote migration-development linkages and rights-based approaches to labour migration policies and programmes at national, regional and international levels; 
• Recognize the pivotal role of social dialogue and key world-of-work actors (representatives of employers’ and workers’ organizations) in the development of labour migration policy, and in resolving critical issues relating to labour migration;
• Analyze and use International Labour Standards and ILO and United Nations supervisory mechanisms and procedures for protecting migrant workers’ human rights, including labour rights;
• Deepen and master the “Decent Work” approach for migrants and refugees.

The LMA is aimed at the following groups:

• Policy planners and officials from various governmental institutions and agencies involved in labour migration
• Representatives of workers’ and employers’ organizations handling labour migration matters
• Staff of NGOs and civil society organizations, and activists working with migrant workers at the grass-roots level
• Representatives of diaspora and migrants’ associations
• Staff of international development agencies and regional economic communities
• Researchers and academics working on labour migration issues
• Journalists and media workers 

The LMA’s content will draw upon the ILO Agenda on Fair Migration and other key outcomes, such as the Conclusions of the International Labour Conference general discussion on labour migration held in June 2017, the Conclusions of the Tripartite Technical Meeting on Labour Migration held in November 2013, the ILO Multilateral Framework on Labour Migration 2006, and the 2004 International Labour Conference plan of action for migrant workers. The Guiding Principles on Access of Refugees and other Forcibly Displaced Persons to the Labour Market, adopted by the Tripartite Technical Meeting in July 2016 and the Principles and Operational Guidelines on Fair Recruitment, adopted by the Tripartite Meeting of Experts in September 2016, are also important and relevant recent sources. 

While there will inevitably be some overlap between the content of the daily plenary forum and the elective courses – as well as some overlap in the content of the elective courses – the objective of the latter is to investigate the topics under discussion in considerably more detail.

As an indication of the kind of issues covered by the LMA, examples of possible plenary sessions and elective courses, based also on those offered in past editions, are provided below. The selection of elective courses will depend on the profi le of the registered participants.

ELECTIVE COURSES

(selected among the 3 thematic areas) 

The ITC promotes a three-phased approach in its learning activities:

• Distance phase (online platform): two weeks before the Face-to-face (residential) phase, during which participants can access initial information on the course content, follow an introductory module and select the elective course they wish to attend.

• Face-to-face phase (residential): which combines lectures and discussions, as well as case studies, role-play exercises and group work.

• Follow-up phase (online platform) : during which participants can access course material, as well as new resources online, and can continue discussion and consultation with other participants and experts on the internet through the Forum discussion of the online platform but also with the alumni of former editions of the LMA through social network groups, such as Facebook and LinkedIn.

During the LMA:

• An action-oriented, highly participative approach will be used, with particular attention devoted to sharing international experiences with a view to their adaptation and practical application.
• Training methods will combine lectures and discussions, case studies, open space debate, role-play exercises and group work using up-to-date learning methods and technologies.
• Particular attention will be paid to the presentation of “good practices” through case studies reflecting experiences already gained locally and internationally, with a view also to contributing to the ILO good practices database on labour migration policies and programmes.

Participants are expected to attend up to six hours of courses daily and complete some homework assignments during the course.

At the end of the face-to-face phase, participants will be evaluated. An ITCILO certificate of achievement will be delivered to participants who pass the final exam with a result equal to or above 70/100.

The Academy will be offered in  English, Spanish and Portuguese (to be confirmed). All plenary sessions as well as some elective courses will be offered with simultaneous translation while most of the elective courses will be conducted in either  English,  Spanish or Portuguese (to be confirmed).

The training course will take place within the premises of the Parlatino located in  Panama City, Panama.

The Latin American and Caribbean Parliament, or Parlatino, is a permanent, unicameral regional body composed of the national parliaments of the sovereign and independent countries of Latin America and the Caribbean, democratically elected by popular suffrage, whose countries signed the treaty of Institutionalization on November 16, 1987, in Lima - Peru.

The Academy participants will be staying at Country Inn Suites by Radisson  -  which is 300 meters walking distance from the Parlatino. The Academy team will arrange for your room booking

For more information contact us at migration@itcilo.org

The cost of participation, excluding international air travel, is 2,550 EUR. This includes the course fee (1,750 EUR) and participant subsistence (800 EUR), and is payable in advance by the participant or his or her sponsoring organization.

It covers: tuition fees; the use of training facilities and support services; training materials and books; accommodation and full board; and emergency medical care and insurance. 

For additional information regarding payment, cancellations and refund, please click here

You can apply directly on-line by clicking here 

Applications should be completed before 2nd May 2018 and supported by a nomination letter from the sponsoring institution indicating how the participant will be financed.

The ITC-ILO disposes of a limited number of fellowships which may cover part of the subsistence or tuition fees. Please note that these fellowships do not include the international travel. If eligible, early registered candidates will be given priority.

As an organization dedicated to fundamental human rights and social justice, the ILO is taking a leading role in international efforts to promote and realize gender equality. In line with this ILO focus, women candidates are especially welcome.