Identification of Educational Barriers of Young Refugees in Vocational Training in the Participatory and Transdisciplinary Research Project Laeneas

As a result of the large-scale arrival of refugees and migrants since 2015, Germany is faced with the challenge of providing inclusive educational pathways for successful integration into the labour market. In this paper we present findings from our research project laeneAs (Ländliche Bildungsumwelten junger Geflüchteter in der beruflichen Ausbildung / The Rural Educational Environments of Young Refugees in Vocational Training). The project focuses on educational barriers and the development of good practice within the VET system for refugees in rural counties (Korntheuer & Thomas 2022; Thomas et al. 2024). In four German municipalities, real-world laboratories were organised as future workshops and group discussions to shape participatory knowledge production and practice development in a transdisciplinary way (Defila/Di Giulio 2019; Di Giulio/Defila 2018). Stakeholders from formal, non-formal and informal educational institutions - vocational schools, administration, companies, chambers, social work - as well as young refugees in training came together in research coalitions.

Our data shows that restrictive and contradictory migration regimes act as central barriers to education and lead to the reproduction of social inequalities. The analysis identified the following areas as important barriers to education and for practice transformation: 1) infrastructural and cultural barriers; 2) day-to-day problems in vocational schools and companies 3) restrictive immigration policies and regulations. The interacting educational barriers for refugee trainees are particularly characterised by asylum regulations and an exclusionary bureaucracy, a lack of intercultural sensitivity on the part of authorities, companies and schools . Racism and discrimination are significant barriers to the participation of refugees in society and education. The development of good practice in real laboratories also revealed defence mechanisms in the local negotiation of good practice models to overcome educational barriers on the part of participating actors.