HCEU conference "Cross-border mobility of healthcare professionals", 27.06.18, Dresden (DE)

Facilitating and promoting cross-border mobility of nursing staff

The health care sector throughout Europe is feeling the pressure more than clearly from a skill shortage. To meet this challenge, the mobility of skilled workers is indispensable and the recognition of qualifications across European borders is necessary. However, recognition procedures in particular are often very complex and can therefore hinder the mobility of skilled workers.

The European project "HealthCareEurope" (HCEU) takes up this challenge and shows possibilities for the comparability of qualifications within Europe.

HCEU convinces by various application possibilities

Last Wednesday, five partner countries presented the HCEU - HealthCareEurope project and its results in Dresden to an international audience of representatives of employers, educational institutions and authorities.

Under the leadership of the project coordinator DEKRA, the partners developed tools and methods during the three-year project period to establish comparisons between vocational qualifications in the field of 'professional care' at European level and thus facilitate recognition procedures. The project results can support professionals in their mobility within Europe, accelerate recognition procedures and thus help to reduce the imbalance and shortage of skilled workers within Europe.

On the two following days, further topics concerning the migration of nursing professionals were discussed in detail in practical workshops in a smaller group of EUcareNET network partners. The focus was on questions such as "What do qualifications and transparency mean across borders", "Which skills will nursing professionals need in the future" and "How can language learning be optimally promoted in the context of migration". Practitioners and scientists from all over Europe, including Sweden, Poland and Greece, presented their results from research and practice. The EUcareNET network aims to promote exchange and cooperation between different actors playing a role in the migration of nursing professionals in the European labour market across borders. The foundation stone for this was laid in Dresden.

Stakeholders emphasize high utilization potential

Participants from the European Union as well as guests from countries outside the European Community were welcomed to the event on 27 June 2018 in Dresden. Representatives from politics, science and economy, as well as from institutions of the health and care industry were invited to inform and exchange information.

The impressive 3-D matrix in the form of a cube, presented by Mr Dietmar Metzger, DEKRA, was a clear indication of the great potential for use. Statements such as: "Presenting the results in this way is an incredible technical solution" or "It's brilliant, I can't get out of astonishment" are only representative of the numerous consistently enthusiastic feedback from the event participants. The political discussion in the evening, which was moderated by Jürgen Zurheide from WDR, was particularly well received. People from politics and business, but also the nursing employers' association, represented by Isabell Halletz, had an exciting exchange of views on the lack of skilled workers and their political and social dimensions.

Ms Naase, Ministerial Director at the Federal Ministry of Health, was also very interested in the results of the project and repeatedly expressed in her presentation how much efforts are being made to find solutions and support for care. This will simplify immigration to Germany and reduce bureaucratic hurdles.

Ms. Mann, from the Regional Council of Stuttgart (recognition office), praised the project results as follows: "If these results are applicable, they can help us speed up processing."

Sustainable use of the results after the end of the project

The developed competence matrix, including learning outcomes, is already available in its 2D version on the project's homepage. Further results, such as the 3D version of the matrix, handouts e.g. on the validation process of the HCEU matrix for other countries and on the creation of organisational profiles, as well as the research report on the project background will also be available and usable online at www.project-hceu.eu

Please find further information on the conference at www.eucarenet.eu/conference.