MILMA Project - Migrants Labour Integration Model based on Acculturation Project

Fuenlabrada, a young working city in the southern metropolitan area of Madrid, has experienced rapid population growth due to significant national and international migration over the past four decades. The city faces high unemployment, particularly among lower-skilled young people, with 14,225 unemployed residents as of November 2017 (7.3% of the total population of the city in 2017), with 12.9% of them being migrants. Fuenlabrada's key challenge is integrating those at risk of social exclusion, especially the unemployed. The city's social inclusion policies focus on creating job opportunities and supporting both locals and migrants in accessing the labour market, fostering social inclusion, employment, and entrepreneurship.[1]

[1] MILMA Project - Migrants Labour Integration Model based on Acculturation Project | Portico

The MILMA project implemented an innovative financing scheme (IFS) in the form of a public-private partnership (PPP) to enhance employment and integration for both residents and migrants. This PPP brought together public entities and private companies to pilot an experimental training process linked to practical experiences in targeted market niches, creating job opportunities while fostering social integration.

The PPP optimised the use of financial resources by combining public funding, such as the ERDF co-financing, with in-kind contributions from private partners, including expertise and active participation through collaborative agreements. Strategic investments in infrastructure, such as the BC Labs, provide long-term value, while integration with existing institutions like CIFE (Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation) ensures efficiency and avoids redundancies. Scalable, market-oriented training models further ensure sustainable outcomes, extending the project's benefits well beyond its duration.

This scheme introduces a transformative approach to training and public-private collaboration, offering innovative methodologies and redefining how integration and access to the labour market are addressed in European urban settings.

The PPP established a connection between the municipality, public sector entities, and private companies that were actively seeking skilled workers but struggling to find suitable candidates (Step 1). This collaboration was aimed at addressing labour market gaps while simultaneously fostering the integration of immigrants into the workforce. The public sector partners selected social enterprises and negotiated seven co-management agreements with companies.

The key innovation of the project lays in embedding the specific needs of private sector companies into the training process itself (Step 2). Rather than offering generic skill development, the training was tailored to meet the evolving demands of businesses, ensuring that participants acquired competencies directly relevant to market needs. This approach made the learning experience highly practical, directly linking employers and job seekers (Step 3) and offering the latter immediate opportunities to apply their skills in real-world contexts (Step 4). This was achieved through the "Business Challenges" (BCs) approach, where businesses played an active role in shaping the training process.

Figure 1. Visual representation of the IFS

The PPP was designed to connect product and service development with market demand through BCs. These BCs, focused on areas identified as potential employment generators, were co-managed by social enterprises and companies. To foster integration, local and migrant workers collaborated in Experimental Teams of Employment and Integration within the BCs Labs. This process combined acculturation and training, helping migrants acquire relevant skills, enhancing employability, and promoting social cohesion.

In terms of implementation, the Municipality of Fuenlabrada, as project coordinator, used two main approaches. The first was establishing public collaborative agreements with companies, where businesses provided training content, while the public sector offered facilities and materials. The second approach was public procurement (public tender process), if the start-up of a BC Lab required financial compensation for companies to participate. This approach appealed to small companies, particularly in sectors like gardening, installation, and healthcare, where recruiting employees can be challenging. Additionally, a communication campaign supported the initiative.

The development of the PPP was fairly complex, primarily due to the importance of crafting a well-structured framework for the programme from the start. Another part of this complexity of the IFS was attracting companies to participate in the project. Large companies often prefer to run their own projects rather than collaborate on others' initiatives. As a result, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) became involved, as they were more interested in hiring skilled personnel or found the opportunity to collaborate on a European project appealing. In sectors where engaging participants proved more difficult, SMEs were brought into the project through economic agreements[1].

[1] Final Qualitative Report.

The PPP wanted to integrate immigrant jobseekers in Fuenlabrada by involving them in collaborative teams with local unemployed residents. Over the duration of the project (2018-2021), it intended to benefit a total of 420 immigrants and 980 local participants, maintaining a team composition of 30% immigrants and 70% locals. Additionally, the aim of the PPP was to seek engagement from companies to propose business challenges and participate in innovative training processes, fostering employment opportunities and community cohesion.

In terms of the initial upfront investment & funding sources (apart from UIA funding), the Municipality of Fuenlabrada invested 20-25% of the project but this was done through the work of the training centre (CIFE) as part of their regular work.

Operating & maintenance costs

n/a

The Municipality of Fuenlabrada managed the project, drawing on its extensive experience in designing and implementing social welfare programmes aimed at people at risk of social exclusion. This expertise, allowed Fuenlabrada to effectively lead the project’s efforts to support vulnerable populations. The project was supported by several partners: CIFE, Santa Maria la Real Foundation, ASALMA, CESAL, and the Islamic Culture Centre of Fuenlabrada.

CIFE (Fuenlabrada Centre for Entrepreneurship and Innovation), a local authority focused on improving employability and professional qualifications, was responsible for providing training, with a special focus on groups facing social disadvantages. Santa Maria la Real Foundation, a private foundation that implements projects to improve society, adapted its Employment Launch Pads to create Experimental Teams for Employment and Immigrant Integration, while also identifying businesses for co-managing BC Labs and developing services for these companies.

ASALMA (Agrupación de Sociedades Laborales de Madrid), a business association supporting employee-owned companies, contributed by establishing connections with businesses for the co-management of BC Labs and fostering collaboration with companies interested in the services developed through the labs. CESAL, an NGO specialised in international coordination and social action, played a key role in ensuring immigrant participation in the project and collaborated in adapting the training programme and managing BC Labs.

Lastly, the Islamic Culture Centre of Fuenlabrada, an NGO experienced in integrating Arab immigrants, helped recruit the Maghrebi population into the project. The Centre also set criteria for effective selection and supported the evaluation of capacity-building processes for these immigrants. Through this collaboration, these entities worked together to promote social inclusion and enhance labour market access for vulnerable groups.

The first step in the process involved multiple meetings with different municipal departments, including investments, legal, and public contracts, to explain the project, its rules, and to develop a clear programme structure. Initially, there was little awareness of the project, so a communication campaign was launched through local media, and word spread as people began securing jobs through the initiative.

• Consortium collaboration: Capitalising on the complementary strengths of the six consortium members ensured smooth project progress.
• Company involvement: Engaging companies from design to evaluation fostered ownership and commitment was key.
• Clear agreements and legal frameworks: Defined roles and responsibilities between the City Council and businesses, supported by legal frameworks, strengthened the partnership.

Stable political leadership is important during the project’s implementation. MILMA’s coordinators further highlighted the importance of citizen engagement, emphasising that trust and clear communication with the public were crucial to the project's success. Additionally, with youth unemployment at 15%, project coordinators said that there was a need for such initiatives to address the urgent demand for employment solutions. These external factors, both political and economic, along with community involvement, played a significant role in shaping the effectiveness and sustainability of the IFS.

• Engaging companies: Large companies showed little interest due to existing employment programmes or a focus on cost-saving, while SMEs were more receptive. Information sessions, training, and internship coordination at the training centre helped SMEs see the value of participation, leading to successful collaborations, especially in the installation sector.
• COVID-19 pandemic: The pandemic disrupted in-person activities and training delivery. The project adapted by shifting to remote training and providing participants with laptops to ensure continued engagement.
• Ensuring financial sustainability: Maintaining long-term engagement from local SMEs in the BC Labs initiative was a significant challenge. The project relied on strong relationships with receptive SMEs, demonstrating the potential benefits of participation and making use of their involvement for sustainability.[1]
• Economic and social difficulties faced by participants: Many participants struggled to engage fully in training due to their circumstances. The project offered support throughout the process, addressing barriers and helping participants stay involved.
• Finding the right business partners: Ensuring alignment between companies’ goals and the project’s objectives was an ongoing challenge. Coordinators focused on building relationships with companies that shared the project’s vision and adapted approaches to secure their involvement.
• Regulatory hurdles: Regulatory obstacles complicated implementation. Project coordinators navigated these challenges by aligning the initiative with existing regulations and fostering stronger local partnerships for political buy-in.

[1] MILMA's innovative approach towards improving integration of migrants - Journal 2 | Portico

The PPP succeeded in fostering social inclusion and collaboration between locals and immigrants. Through the combined efforts of public entities and private stakeholders, the partnership achieved key outcomes that exceeded expectations. 508 participants took part in 28 Experimental Teams of employment and integration, which took place over 4 successive BC Labs editions, covering 13 different market niches. Immigrant participation in training reached 34% of the total number of participants, surpassing the initial target of 30%, and perceptions of social and labour exclusion improved significantly, with 54% of immigrants reporting better outcomes compared to the 20% target.

The PPP framework also facilitated remarkable achievements in job placements and skills acquisition, with 66 immigrants securing jobs and 389 participants completing training. While the COVID-19 pandemic presented challenges, such as slightly fewer job placements (182 vs. 196 targeted) and lower business creation (10 vs. 15 targeted), the partnership demonstrated resilience.

Additionally, 35% of participants secured employment through the initiative, with the potential for this figure to grow over time as more opportunities arise. The PPP played a crucial role in developing participants' soft skills, enhancing their long-term employability and demonstrating its effectiveness in addressing both social and economic challenges through collaborative efforts.

The project was essentially built around the PPP, which reflects that the objectives of the project are influenced by the effectiveness or impact of the IFS.

The project contributed to fostering innovation, particularly by changing how projects are financed (i.e., the project leverages a mix of public funding and in-kind contributions from private entities, such as expertise and participation through collaborative agreements) and promoting collaboration between companies and individuals seeking employment. A key innovation is the direct involvement of companies in the training process, which is not commonly done. This collaboration helped align training with the specific needs of employers, even though the training did not result in formal certifications. Companies (mainly smaller ones) recognised the value of the training because they played a role in delivering it, which strengthened the connection between job seekers and employers. This new model of collaboration between the public sector and businesses appears to have influenced the way future projects might be structured. By addressing the gap in sector-specific training and creating more tailored programmes, the project has likely paved the way for more partnerships and collaborative initiatives between companies and city authorities. The inclusion of companies in the training process suggests an innovative approach that could lead to stronger future collaborations and more effective workforce development strategies.

The MILMA project’s methodology continues on a smaller scale, sustained by the municipality through one of the partners, the Centre for Training (CIFE), with 1-4 trainings offered annually. Since 2021, the municipality has funded training sessions in sectors like gardening, hospital orderlies, and hotel receptionists. While reduced in scope, the programme maintains its (initial) innovative approach and continues to address local workforce needs through partnerships between companies and the public sector but scaled down and adapted to a smaller scope. The City Council is interested in continuing this way of working with private entities, as a strategy of labour integration in sectors that are interested in working with the public administration.

The MILMA project continues locally through CIFE's training programmes, using its methodology and brand to attract participants, but there are no plans to scale it up in other neighbourhoods or for different target groups as the solution is already at a municipal level. The IFS has potential for expansion across the city and the country, though more resources would be needed to scale it. The project is designed to be transferable, but its broader application depends on future resource availability.

There is ongoing interest in replicating the IFS implemented by the MILMA project. The project coordinators are often asked to talk about it in the context of other projects or exchanges with other projects. The Municipality is involved in an on-going project called Consolidate, which involves more cities such as Milan, Sofia, and Athens, aiming to share the MILMA methodology using funding from the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF). This knowledge-sharing is coordinated by Inclucities, demonstrating external interest in replicating the project. Similarly, the replicability of the IFS was also explored in the context of the ‘Acting for green and inclusive recovery (ICP-AGIR)[1]’ project, where the MILMA project partnered with Halifax (Canada) to share and exchange practices.

No complementarity with other funds is detected.

[1] International City Cooperation

• Establishing a strong understanding of the business sector and clear communication with companies is essential, ensuring they understand the focus is on training unemployed people to address their own shortages of skilled labour. Smaller companies may be more inclined to take part to this kind of collaboration mechanism.
• Urban authorities should be mindful that partnerships can be challenging, and strict public funding rules often could create additional complications, thus establishing clear rules and expectations from the beginning is key.
• It is important to prepare for the possibility that not all partnerships with companies will succeed.
• Clear agreements with well-defined responsibilities are crucial to ensure effective collaboration.
• Collaborating with companies through associations can bridge communication gaps, as associations help translate the language of the municipality into terms companies can better understand, improving partnership success.

• MILMA Project - Migrants Labour Integration Model based on Acculturation Project | Portico
• MILMA's innovative approach towards improving integration of migrants - Journal 2 | Portico  
• Fuenlabrada (Madrid, Madrid, Spain) - Population Statistics, Charts, Map, Location, Weather and Web Information
• International City Partnerships: Acting for green and inclusive recovery (ICP-AGIR)
• MILMA Project Closure & Sustainability Fiche, Internal document, made available by UIA Permanent Secretariat
• MILMA Project Application Form, Internal document, made available by UIA Permanent Secretariat
• MILMA Project APR Annual Progress Report 4, Internal document, made available by UIA Permanent Secretariat
• MILMA Final Qualitative Report, Internal document, made available by UIA Permanent Secretariat
• Interview with Patricia Serrano Lopez, EU Project Officer at the Municipality of Fuenlabrada, and Andres de las Alas-Pumarino Sela, General Coordinator of Sustainable Development of the City, Municipality of Fuenlabrada
• Survey responses from members of the project team