LaMP Manger Sophia Wolpers was a key participant in in the Bertelsmann Foundation’s 18-month in-depth working group “Denkfabrik transnational Skills Partnerships” This initiative explored various aspects of transnational skills partnerships and promoted the exchange of best practices among program operators, recruiters, language providers, migration experts, and government stakeholders.
Besides questions around best practice of language training and other programming improvements, the group focused on scaling and sustainable financing of transnational skills partnerships. Since LaMP is one of the global pioneers in the field of addressing financial challenges in the labor mobility process, the team shared valuable insights from our projects around the world and how we draw on principles from impact-linked and results-based financing (RBF) to find innovative solutions.
One significant outcome of the working group was a collection of inspiring articles showcasing ideas on how to improve transnational skills partnerships for workers, sending countries, and receiving countries. These articles also explored innovative strategies to enhance the impact and scale of international recruitment.
Sophia Wolpers and Elicia Carmichael co-authored an article titled “The Potential of Impact-Linked Financing for Scaling Transnational Skills Partnerships.” (only available in German). This article emphasizes the need to align Germany’s role and governmental ambitions on the topic of foreign recruitment. It delves into the complexities of risk and reward for various stakeholders in recruitment and skilling practices, highlighting the necessity for public discussion and policy development to create fair systems utilizing innovative financing approaches and involving new private and public sector actors in the world of finance.
The article also presents a simplified example of a worker retention fund, designed to ensure fair participation for all stakeholders while adhering to responsible recruitment norms.
For more information and to access the working group’s other publications (only available in German), click here.
If you have any questions, please contact Sophia Wolpers at swolpers@lampforum.org.