Since the start of the year, PRIMACENTERS has been busy laying the groundwork for real, practical support to migrant workers in agriculture, while also strengthening support for employers, public services, and organisations working alongside them.

Listening to the people who know best

In mid-January, we held local workshops in each participating country, bringing together migrant workers, employers, local authorities, and community organizations. The goal was simple: gather concrete, country-specific suggestions for how our pilot centers should actually work on the ground, and make sure gender equality was represented.

In early February, we brought everyone together for a transnational workshop to compare notes across countries, highlight shared challenges and opportunities, and stress-test the ideas that had come out of the local discussions. A summary report bringing all of these findings together was completed by the end of February by Headway..

A Blueprint for the upcoming PRIMACENTERS

All of that feedback fed into our biggest milestone so far: the Services & Mechanisms Blueprint, finalized at the end of May. This document sets out how our future PRIMACENTERS will actually operate and support individual across the challenges identified, including:

• Mapping local labor markets
• Matching workers with job opportunities
• Working directly with employers on fair hiring practices
• Connecting people to training and education
• Offering legal and administrative guidance
• Providing information in multiple languages
• Running outreach activities directly in communities
• Building activities that help migrant workers feel part of local community life

The Blueprint also spells out the practical tools each center will need to do this work: a shared database of local job opportunities and worker availability, a matching tool, multilingual guides for both migrants and employers, a project website, and ready-to-use training materials.

Everything we prepared rests on a few core principles: centers should be easy to access, work in cooperation with existing local services rather than duplicate them, adapt flexibly to local needs, and be built to last.

Training the people who support migrant workers

In May and June, we developed training materials in Greek, Italian, Spanish, and English for the staff who work directly with migrant workers every day, including employment service officers, local and regional authority staff, and community organisations. The training covers everything from the key concepts of migration to the relevant legislation, to how migration connects to work in agriculture, to practical tools for helping people find jobs and settle in.

That training is now being rolled out online through June and July via our training platform, reaching the frontline staff who will help make PRIMACENTERS’ work a reality in communities across our partner countries.

What’s next?

With the Blueprint in place and trainings underway, we’re moving from planning into action.

Stay tuned for updates as our pilot PRIMACENTERS start putting these tools and services to work!