This guide is the fruit of 3 years of work and collaboration within the context of the GRUNDTVIG European programme. The main aim of this project, known as CROCUS, was to promote newly-arrived immigrants’ access to education and employment in their host country. In order to achieve this objective, techniques for assessing basic skills gained in their country of origin and identifying pre-training needs had to be improved by adapting the ’skills auditing’ methodology to cultural characteristics. For this, we analysed the theoretical elements of intercultural communication, in general, and social stereotypes, in particular, in order to modify and improve our working methods and practices. Moreover, given that our transnational meetings brought together Belgian, French, Italian and English partners, we had our own cultural differences to face up to, along with their impact on our communication. This issue was thus doubly interesting for us. It was thus a question of helping clients to be able to express their skills, along with the barriers preventing their access to training and employment. Whilst evaluating and adapting our tools, we were also vigilant to cultural biases that could distort the results of the evaluation tests. Our target public was that of first-generation immigrants in their host country for less than five years and who were not yet employed (’newly-arrived immigrants’). They were primarily of African (Sub-Saharan countries), North African or Eastern European origin. Many were political refugees. All wished to integrate into the countries that had received them and (re) build an employment or training plan. The skills auditing approach enabled them to take stock of their skills and resources, and to familiarise themselves with the local economic culture and socio-cultural context. The four transnational partners exchanged information on practices and observations, enabling us to undertake an in-depth reflection into the skills auditing tools, to adapt these tools and from this, to create new ones that respond better to the needs of our target public. This "Guide to Good Practice" was born of our desire to share our experiences, observations and ideas with all guidance professionals working with newly-arrived immigrants or with any marginalised groups. It is an account of our reflections and practices which, we hope will be able to feed into your reflections and enrich your guidance practices. View them with a critical eye, however, for they are not set "recipes" to be followed to the letter. After a brief presentation of the partners involved in the project, we offer a glimpse into the skills auditing methodology. The next chapter provides a summary of the available literature on intercultural communication, social stereotypes and cultural bias in evaluation tests, in order to gain a better understanding of the issues and interactions at play in this type of intervention. The final section provides the practical results of our exchanges on, and experiences of, assessment with newly-arrived immigrants. This project has been financed with the support of the European Community as part of the Socrates Programme. The content of this guide does not necessarily reflect the position of the European Community.

From CROCUS project, supported within the frame of Socrates , Grundtvig

OPTIMUM LILLE http://www.cibc-lille.fr.st

Workforce – GB http://www.workforce.org.uk

Ass.For.SEO – Italie http://www.assforseo.it

Le Laboratoire d’Ergologie – Belgique http://www.ulb.ac.be/labo/ergologie