DUO for a JOB:
better together for respect and opportunities
Partnering mentors and job-seekers to open doors
Based on research he did into young job-seekers and long-time professionals close to retirement, Frédéric Simonart realized that a collaboration between the two could be mutually beneficial.
DUO for a JOB is an intergenerational mentoring program in France, Belgium and the Netherlands that partners young immigrants who are looking for work with mentors aged over 50.
Many of us know what it’s like to feel unvalued and denied opportunities, maybe because of ethnicity or age. This fundamental lack of respect, of not seeing everyone as deserving of the same treatment, can have multiple repercussions not just at a personal level, in terms of confidence, self-worth and motivation, but also for the wider society.
When it comes to employment, doors remain closed to a lot of people.
Two realities of the job market
Youth unemployment is a pressing issue in many places, and the situation can be even more challenging for those from immigrant backgrounds. They can encounter numerous barriers, from the complexities of their migration paths and arrival to struggles in getting their qualifications recognized, finding jobs that match their skills, discriminatory hiring practices, insufficient language skills, and weak social and professional networks. Additionally, they often grapple with precarious living conditions, including housing instability, debt, and social isolation.
People over 50 may also face their own challenges in the workplace due to ageism. Their potential can be underutilized, and they may find their skills and experience become increasingly overlooked. And those who are retired have a low activity rate and few opportunities to continue developing and enhancing their experience in a stimulating environment.
A few examples from France highlight this. For 20-29 year-olds living in France who were born outside the EU, the unemployment rate is 19%, compared to 9% overall and 14% for that age group in general. Meanwhile, only 23% of those over 55 feel they have opportunities for career development, whether inside or outside their present company.
Turning challenges into opportunities
The idea for DUO for a JOB came to Frédéric Simonart following separate academic studies he did on these two groups. Among his findings, he discovered that those close to retirement were scared at the thought of no longer being useful to society, young people faced social inequalities in accessing the job market, and immigrants lacked the necessary networks to identify opportunities and get a helping hand.
Frédéric had the vision to seek a response to these two issues in one fell swoop. He joined forces with a partner who was familiar with the situation of refugees, and they opened their first office in Brussels. The plan was to turn senior professionals either still working or retired into mentors, giving them the chance to keep learning by themselves becoming a key resource for young immigrants struggling to find work.
“Since joining DUO, I’ve stopped aging!”
Alec, a mentor at DUO (who has had eight mentees already)
“It’s thanks to people like [my mentor] Joëlle that I’m starting to feel at home in Belgium”
Samsam, a mentee at DUO
A working formula
In 10 years, 50% of mentees have found an employment solution within 12 months of the coaching period, compared to 28% for those who had employment services without mentoring. What’s more, nine out of 10 mentors continue with a new mentee.
Today, DUO for a JOB has more than 2,200 mentors from 70 different fields, and its team includes 100 employees and 100 volunteers in 17 cities. Since launch, more than 8,000 ‘duos’ have been created.
Immigrants searching for a job can cost up to €25,000 each year for the national government, while the annual investment for each partnership at DUO for a JOB is just €3,000.
Partnerships worth making
here are clear advantages, personal and societal, in solving these employment challenges, but it requires a concerted effort by policymakers, businesses and communities. Barriers to integration must be broken down, with recognition and appreciation for the skills and experience of both young immigrants and older workers, while also adopting inclusive practices to promote equal opportunities and diversity in the workplace. And it’s a model that deserves to be replicated in even more countries.
DUO for a JOB creates an essential foundation and first step in this process that can result in positive change in multiple parts of society.