Découvrir:
empowering migrant
women
Established in 2007
by Rocio Restrepo
After facing difficulties in finding work that matched her extensive experience following a move to Switzerland, Rocio Restrepo established Découvrir to help others avoid the battles she had to confront.
The non-profit organization supports skilled migrants with guidance on securing suitable employment, intending to create social and economic change in the country.
While the world today is more accessible than ever, with travel and working from different locations increasingly easy, it’s surprising how many people with higher education still encounter obstacles, often unexpected ones, when seeking employment after they settle abroad
A clutch of certificates may not be enough to get a job for some migrants, even in a developed place such as Switzerland.
Charting
the journey
Rocio Restrepo arrived in the country from Colombia in 1999 with her family. Despite having two diplomas and nearly 20 years of experience in business administration, she struggled to have her qualifications recognized in the Swiss labor market.
Determined to address this issue, Rocio conducted a study among qualified migrant women that revealed common challenges: language barriers, difficulties in accessing information, non-recognition of diplomas and experience, lack of professional networks, and unfamiliarity with Swiss employment practices.
This led her to create the “Guide pratique pour femmes migrantes en recherche d’emploi” (Practical guide for migrant women looking for work), offering vital insights for navigating the Swiss job market. And in 2007, she founded Découvrir.
Hers is not an unusual story. Although more migrants are finding employment than ever before in OECD countries, in Switzerland, employers are reluctant to recruit migrants, including those with advanced training and experience – women in particular still face notable problems.
A wider impact
And it’s not just the impact on these individual women that matters. The knock-on effects on the wider society and economy are significant. Some migrants take lower-skilled work (e.g. in the domestic and retail sectors), which would otherwise be done by people with fewer qualifications, leaving that group with a smaller range of employment options. Others may turn to welfare support, creating a burden for the state.
Louisa Pinade, a medical graduate also from Colombia, quickly realized upon her arrival in Switzerland that her qualifications weren’t recognized, severely limiting her chances of practicing medicine. With the support of Découvrir, she eventually found opportunities with local foundations and international organizations like the Geneva Red Cross. However, her quest to have her qualifications recognized persists.
All these constraints create a cycle of frustration, financial insecurity, a gradual loss of valuable skills – and a lack of essential social integration.
“I still want my qualifications to be recognized so that one day I can practice medicine again.”
Louisa Pinade
So what difference
does Découvrir make?
The Découvrir team now offers a significant spectrum of support services from reception and orientation to training, coaching, and mentoring. They assist in creating or optimizing LinkedIn profiles, preparing for job applications and interviews, and facilitating networking opportunities. Additionally, they offer English and French language courses to enhance participants’ chances of securing qualified employment.
Of the 5,350 skilled migrants (4600 women and 740 men from +145 countries) supported by Découvrir since 2007, 2,400 have found a job in line with their career plans and 340 have obtained an internship.
Looking ahead
Going forward, a key area of focus is the approach of Swiss employers to migrants, not least because diversity is recognized as a performance lever for companies. In 2018, Découvrir established a Corporate Service. This involves forging partnerships with the business community to educate and raise awareness among employers, enhance visibility for candidate profiles, facilitate meetings with migrant job-seekers, and eliminate discriminatory biases in recruitment processes.
There is more to do, of course, but the achievements and model of change proposed
by Découvrir so far provides hope in a multitude of ways.