We have successfully completed the project titled “Expansion of the network of Czech-Vietnamese assistants in the Karlovy Vary Region”, Reg. No. CZ.1.04/3.3.05/96.00060, designed to support young Vietnamese living in the region. What results have we achieved?
The priority of the project was to provide intercultural training suitable for immigrants educated in the Czech system and at the same time growing up in a different socio-cultural environment formed by their “community”, namely the Vietnamese minority in the Czech Republic. We have accepted a total of 27 applicants under 28 years for two courses in Cheb who have attended training sessions on communication skills, conflict resolution, mediation, interpretation, law, lecturing skills, intercultural assistance, etc. 20 participants have successfully passed the final examination before the expert committee and these graduates are ready to perform the desired occupation of (Czech-Vietnamese) intercultural assistants and lecturers – an occupation which is already also recognized by the state.
Essential practical training
However, the successful passing of the examination and the obtaining of the accredited certificate did not mean the end of our cooperation. On the contrary, the certificate was only an essential first stage to another of the project objectives, i.e. the essential practical training (thanks to the project the practical training was also financially rewarded). Klub Hanoi was able to hire 10 graduates for training jobs where they have been involved in providing counselling and integration services to Vietnamese clients. This practical training is essential for providing quality work to clients in the field of intercultural interpretation and accompanying clients in order to help them integrate into the host country including its legal system, which is completely different from the one in Vietnam. For many, the experience gained was one of the first experiences in the field and they can decide whether or not they will continue to work in this field in the future.
The project also anticipated new jobs with other employers for the most talented graduates. Just as we do, also other public institutions and business entities are beginning to understand the current situation and the need to resolve it; already during the implementation of the project, we were contacted by some interested institutions, NGOs, and commercial companies who were seeking services of a bilingual assistant. The project implementation team has gradually created a database of potential employers in the region with whom it has been negotiating the employment of successful graduates and at the same time about the role of intercultural assistants and the use of their services generally. Three selected employers then employed 10 of the most capable students of the course as “intercultural workers and community interpreters”.
Objectives and meaning
The main objective of the project was to improve the position of immigrants from a different socio-cultural environment and to create conditions for their permanent inclusion into the labour market. The interest of Czech companies in employing Vietnamese workers is growing again but their employment is often impossible without an involvement of a qualified assistant with the knowledge of the language and cultural differences. Also, many institutions are not able to successfully address the needs of this significant community without the involvement of trained bilingual assistants.
Our trained Czech-Vietnamese assistants provide translation and interpreting services, they have a command of Czech legal language, know the differences between the two cultures, can explain and describe them, they can explain what they interpret, and have experience in communication, negotiation, and methods of conflict resolution. The significance of the role of these assistants is steadily growing as the number of the Vietnamese in the Czech Republic is still growing (the Karlovy Vary Region is number three in the number of Vietnamese residents), not only because of the high birth-rates of Vietnamese families but also because of the fact that there are many Vietnamese migrants coming in recent years to the Czech Republic from a different social environment with a very poor professional potential. These immigrants lack information about the work and social environment in the Czech Republic, language skills, and others. Although they are desirable workers on the Czech labour market, they very easily fall into the sphere of gray or even black economy if left without any assistance and depending only on their compatriot “self-proclaimed” intermediaries.
The significance of the services provided within the project shows that the involvement of candidates and subsequent graduates of the course for the Czech-Vietnamese intercultural assistants/lecturers represents what our society needs – the engagement of educated persons from the minority society in the solution of problems and often unnecessary misunderstandings in the communication between the majority and the Vietnamese minority.
The project No. CZ.1.04/3.3.05/75.00005 “Expansion of the network of Czech-Vietnamese assistants in the Karlovy Vary Region” is funded by the European Social Fund under the Operational Programme Human Resources and Employment and by the state budget of the Czech Republic.