Brenda’s reskilling story: Argentina – the Netherlands: from chemical to software engineering

Brenda’ journey 

Brenda completed her degree in chemical engineering in Argentina before moving to the Netherlands. Despite holding a STEM degree, Brenda still found it difficult to find a job. Aside from a language barrier, having no contacts in a new country and struggling with ADHD made her job search even harder. The long and unsuccessful job search was discouraging. Yet, Brenda did not give up. She knew she had to learn Dutch to move forward so she focussed on learning the language. While she says her Dutch is still a work in progress, she managed to reach a level that allowed her to participate in a retraining programme called ‘Make it Work!’. Through this programme, Brenda retrained into software engineering, which helped her get her current job at the Dutch Chamber of Commerce. 

People from outside of the EU face additional barriers when looking for employment 

Brenda’s story illustrates some of the challenges that many non-EU nationals face when looking for job opportunities in the EU. Although Brenda is a STEM graduate, the lack of understanding and recognition of qualifications obtained in third countries or complicated work visa requirements are likely to be some of the factors that make job search difficult. Language barrier is another major, but often overlooked, obstacle. Without the necessary language skills, obtaining information about existing opportunities and procedures to follow is difficult, let alone participating in training or employment. Upskilling and reskilling programmes provide an opportunity for many non-EU nationals to acquire skills and qualifications recognised in the EU. Although a career change does not look easy in the beginning, training programmes – whether in language or technical skills - can help people find other suitable career paths, including abroad. 

Recent policy initiatives that can help people find a job faster 

The EU is facing labour shortages, especially in STEM and ICT sectors, and attracting qualified non-EU nationals to Europe is one of the measures that could help address the problem. To this end, the European Commission adopted the Skills and Talent Mobility Package, which consists of a series of new measures designed to make the EU more attractive to talent from outside the EU and to facilitate the recognition of their skills and qualifications. For example, the EU Talent Pool platform aims to make international recruitment faster and easier by providing information on recruitment and migration procedures in the Member States, simultaneously assuring strong safeguards for fair recruitment and working conditions. The package also includes measures for easier and faster recognition of qualifications gained in third countries, as well as the Talent Partnership Initiative, which improves recognition of skills developed under partnership programmes.