Building Inclusive Labour Markets: From Holistic Support to Regional Action - The WISE and SALAM project

For refugee women arriving in a new country, entering the labour market is rarely just a matter of finding a job. Language barriers, recognition of qualifications, childcare responsibilities and the psychological impact of displacement can all affect their ability to rebuild their professional and personal lives.

The WISE – Supporting Ukrainian Refugee Women’s Socio-Economic Integration and Wellbeing project, funded by the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+), addresses these interconnected challenges through a holistic approach to inclusion. Implemented in Italy and Bulgaria, WISE combines employment support with psychosocial assistance, cultural orientation and personalised case management.

Holistic support for inclusion

At the heart of WISE is the Holistic Support Centre (HSC) model, a one-stop-shop approach bringing together services that are often provided separately. Four centres were established in Rome, Milan, Turin and Sofia, supporting more than 200 Ukrainian refugee women through personalised case management and employment counselling, alongside psychosocial support and job-readiness activities.

The results demonstrate the importance of addressing wellbeing and employment together. 70% of women reported increased self-confidence following structured psychosocial support, while participants also reported improvements in wellbeing, resilience and employability. An external evaluation confirmed the effectiveness of the model, with psychosocial support emerging as its most valued component.

The project also identified persistent barriers to inclusion. Language, access to childcare and recognition of qualifications remain among the main obstacles preventing refugee women from fully participating in the labour market.

The WISE experience therefore shows that employment support is most effective when embedded within a broader ecosystem of services. Regional and local authorities, employment and training providers, civil society organisations and mental health and migrant support services all have a role to play in creating sustainable pathways towards inclusion.

From local experience to European replication

Beyond implementation in Italy and Bulgaria, WISE aims to encourage the adaptation and replication of the HSC model across Europe. Through a dedicated webinar series, stakeholders explored the model in practice, skills-based employment guidance, experiences from the four implementation sites and the conditions needed for successful replication.

As the project's communication, dissemination and scale-up partner, EARLALL has worked to connect the lessons from WISE with regional authorities, lifelong learning stakeholders and civil society networks across Europe. Rather than proposing a one-size-fits-all solution, WISE provides practical lessons that regions and organisations can adapt to their own local realities.

Connecting WISE with wider European action on inclusion

The lessons emerging from WISE connect with EARLALL’s broader work to promote inclusive regional labour markets across Europe.

Through the SALAM Interreg Europe project, 12 European partners are working together to strengthen the sustainable inclusion of migrants in local labour markets. Since its launch in 2024, the partnership has exchanged regional experiences and good practices addressing migrant inclusion, including socio-cultural integration and access to employment.

In 2026, SALAM is moving from knowledge exchange towards the transfer and implementation of promising practices in regional policies, helping regions create more accessible pathways into education, training and employment. By 2028, the project aims to contribute to stronger and more inclusive local labour markets that recognise migrants’ skills and potential while addressing the barriers that prevent their full participation in communities and economies.

The exchange will continue on 9 October with the online webinar Beyond SALAM Institutional Learning Community: Regional Challenges and Solutions to Better Integrate Migrants. The session will explore transferable approaches, common regional challenges and opportunities to strengthen inclusive labour market policies across Europe.

Save the date: 9 October 2026 | 11:00–12:30 CEST | Online. Registration opening soon.

The conversation on inclusion will continue during the European Week of Regions and Cities 2026. On 13 October, EARLALL will host the side event “No Talent Left Behind: Building Inclusive Labour Markets through Regional Skills Strategies”, exploring concrete examples of European regions developing innovative, place-based solutions to support the integration of people currently outside the labour market.

The following day, on 14 October, the Gender Equality Task Force of EARLALL, EAEA and EfVET will organise the session “Rethinking Care Careers: Gender, Skills and Wellbeing for Stronger Regions”, bringing a gender perspective to the debate and exploring how skills, wellbeing and more inclusive care careers can contribute to stronger regions.

Together, WISE, SALAM and these European exchanges reflect a shared ambition: to build labour markets where skills, wellbeing and individual potential are recognised, and where more people have the opportunity to participate.

Join us in Brussels

Before meeting again at the European Week of Regions and Cities, the conversation will continue at the WISE Final Conference – “Scaling Up Holistic Support for Refugee and Migrant Women Across Europe”, taking place on 16 September 2026 in Brussels.

The conference will bring together policymakers, regional and local authorities, practitioners and European stakeholders to present the key results of WISE and discuss how holistic support models can be adapted, embedded and scaled up across Europe.

Learn more about the WISE project, explore the WISE webinar series to discover how the Holistic Support Centre model works in practice, and join us in Brussels for the WISE Final Conference, featured as part of the European Skills and VET Week 2026.

You can also discover the work of the SALAM project on migrant inclusion and join EARLALL at the European Week of Regions and Cities 2026 to continue the conversation on inclusive labour markets, gender, skills and wellbeing.