More than three quarters of Ukrainian refugees in Czechia work in the least skilled jobs despite having higher qualifications. IOM’s new project “Bridges to Integration” addresses this issue by supporting people in securing qualified employment. Over the next 20 months, IOM will provide assistance with nostrification, support participation in requalification programs in close collaboration with the Labour Office, and offer employment advisory services. The project is co-financed by the European Union and the Ministry of the Interior of the Czech Republic.

According to data from the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs of the Czech Republic, most Ukrainians with temporary protection in Czechia hold the least qualified positions in the labor market, despite more than half of them having worked as managers and specialists in Ukraine. IOM Czechia, in close cooperation with the state administration, is now actively supporting Ukrainians to utilize their potential in the labor market, and therefore in Czech society.

“We have established a solid partnership with Centres for the Integration of Foreigners (CPIC) of the Refugee Facilities Administration of the Ministry of the Interior. Together, we will be able to reach the people from Ukraine this program can help,” says Radovan Hlaváček, the head of this project at IOM Czechia.

The “Bridges to Integration: Education and Work in Czechia” project aims to support the integration and increase the self-sufficiency of temporary protection holders from Ukraine in Czechia by enhancing their ability to effectively engage in the Czech education system and labor market. This will be achieved through individual employment counseling provided by professional consultants, as well as improving the target group's access to relevant information and resources needed to make the most of all currently available government and labor office programs and projects.

Thanks to existing IOM collaborations with all major regional stakeholders involved in the adaptation and integration of temporary protection holders, and the establishment of a network of 10 contact and counseling centres—where employment counseling will be provided and managed by the project team—the project will ensure adequate regional coverage in areas where these services are most needed.

All services will be provided with an emphasis on addressing the individual situation of clients and on their proactive approach, independence, and personal responsibility for further steps. This project represents a valuable resource of information and services for temporary protection holders seeking their place in a new environment, which will suitably complement the existing services of state, educational, and professional institutions. The project was activated in October 2024 and is now fully operational through to December 2026.

More information (in Czech and Ukrainian) is available here. 

The project "Bridges to Integration: education and work in Czechia" registration number CZ.12.01.02/00/24_020/0000058 is co-financed by the European Union under the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund Operational Programme and the budget of the Ministry of the Interior of the Czech Republic.