The enhancement of foreign qualifications: Evidence from a case study.

This chapter focuses on the pathways of recognition of qualifications and skills possessed by foreign citizens. This topic is of great relevance, as it can play a crucial role in mitigating segregation and ethnicization within the labour market that affect the inclusion of migrant workers. Nonetheless, few research directly focuses on this subject, highlighting a lack of knowledge regarding the functioning and efficacy of recognition processes, especially in Southern Europeans countries. Focusing on the Italian context, this chapter discusses the results of an exploratory investigation conducted as part of an action research project aimed at identifying and addressing the main obstacles faced by foreign citizens in the formal recognition of their credentials. Through the analysis of collected data, we highlight how migrants learn about the possibility of having their credentials recognised, suggesting strategies to increase awareness of these procedures. We then delve into the key elements contributing to successful recognition procedures and common obstacles that may impede them, while also discussing the motivations and effects of recognition. Finally, the good practices emerging from the analysis will be illustrated and discussed, with the ultimate aim of identifying areas of intervention that can contribute to reducing inequalities in labour market access for foreign citizens – whose cultural and professional capitals, when valorised, is known to be a crucial benefit to host societies.