Having adopted its new Strategy on Reception in 2021, the Agency has developed several reception-related training modules and has been actively involved in enhancing the capacity of national reception services by providing training for reception officers both in EU+ and third countries facing disproportionate pressures on their reception systems. This capacity building has been supported by technical advice from the Agency’s Reception Team. 

In preparation for the transformation of EASO into the EUAA, a broader training curriculum was launched in order to re-enforce the fundamental role of training within all elements of the Agency’s new mandate. This ongoing work is essential to bringing greater convergence to national asylum and reception practices. Part of the new mandate means that the Agency will be able to rapidly deploy personnel to provide operational assistance to Member States, including at short notice. In order to enable these Asylum Support Teams to swiftly become fully operational and ready to provide on-the-ground assistance, the Agency has prepared special induction training that will ideally be conducted in advance of deployment. 

This Annual Training Report provides some background on the training delivery figures throughout the year. You will see how the Agency continued to apply online solutions to replace face-to-face sessions with webinars, thereby maintaining high levels of training delivery. Further alignment with European quality standards in the field of education remained at the heart of its training activities and the Agency worked closely with Member States to ensure that these standards can be maintained and enhanced wherever training is delivered.  

Quality and satisfaction remains of utmost importance, and, throughout the year, the Agency put in place enhanced support services, as well as a strengthened reporting mechanism which feeds into robust evaluation activities to ensure the continuous improvement of our training. 

A new design methodology has now been fully implemented when developing new modules and upgrading existing ones. All learning outcomes are defined to closely reflect the actual tasks that learners perform, and any overlap of content has been eliminated.

• Restructuring of the core modules for learners

  The restructuring of the training modules on ‘Inclusion’, the ‘Asylum interview method’ (formerly ‘Interviewing techniques’) and ‘Evidence assessment’ was completed.

• Development of foundation modules

  New foundation modules were developed to provide basic and transversal knowledge and skills that can then be applied to the entire European Asylum Curriculum:

  • Introduction to the legal framework on fundamental rights and international protection in the EU;
  • Introduction to ethical and professional standards;
  • Introduction to communication for asylum and reception practitioners;
  • Introduction to vulnerability.

• Courses for trainers

  Training specifically aimed at trainers has been developed, including thematic training on the ‘Asylum core’ and training aimed at building trainers’ knowledge and skills, such as ‘Becoming an EASO trainer’, ‘Becoming an EASO assessor’ and ‘Introduction to coaching’.

• Training in the thematic area of vulnerability

  Two new modules - ‘Applicants with diverse SOGIESC1 and ‘Victims of gender-based violence’ - have been developed, and the ‘Trafficking in human beings’ module has been upgraded.

The Agency has extended the range of training specifically focused on reception. The ‘Reception’ module was one of the most popular in terms of participation, alongside the core modules and Interviewing vulnerable persons. Two modules focused on vulnerable persons in the context of reception (‘Reception of vulnerable persons – Blocks A and B’), finalised in 2020, also attracted a significant number of participations. Several reception-related training modules are under development and will form part of the learning path for reception officials:

• Introduction to reception;
• Conflict management and mediation in reception;
• Psychosocial support and guidance in reception;
• Management in the context of reception.

The network of Training National Contact Points for reception

The Agency established a network of Training National Contact Points (NCPs) for reception. This is in recognition of the essential role of reception authorities in the effective functioning of the Common European Asylum System and the importance of involving such authorities in regular consultations.

Operating plan for special support on reception

The 2021 operating plan for special support on reception signed between EASO and Spain was conceived and implemented in close collaboration with a broad range of reception stakeholders who operate in Spain under the lead of the Secretary of State for Migration. The Agency developed an induction course on reception, which introduces new reception staff to the legal principles, standards and procedures in reception according to the Reception Conditions Directive and the national law.

The Agency implemented a joint training plan, which focused on increasing the number and specialised areas of training delivered together with the Greek Asylum Service under the Agency’s operating plan for Greece. One of the main training activities was on-the-job coaching that aimed at supporting Greek Asylum Service caseworkers and EASO temporary staff working on the ground as caseworkers.

A significant step in strengthening direct collaboration with Member States is the introduction of the role of Country Desk Coordinators, who act as the main point of contact for Training NCPs on asylum and reception.

Several improvements were made to ensure that learners have a better online experience:

• a new user interface for the Learning Management System;
• a new e-learning module design style that reduces the number of clicks/steps required to reach a specific content page, with rules-based access in order to prevent the user from navigating freely.

The Agency also introduced the concept of a learning technologies ecosystem encompassing all the integrated tools, platforms, automated workflows, digital services and other components that support the management of online modules, courses and programmes, including their design, production, delivery and learner-experience analysis.

• A new version of the EUAA Training Enrolment Tool (ETET v2.0) will encourage active participation of Training National Contact Points in the monitoring of the learner enrolment process.
• Service desk optimisation improves issue tracking by implementing a ticketing system.
• A new Stakeholders Contact Management system improves the process for sending event invitations, surveys and ad hoc updates.

• The Agency completed the development of two methodologies regarding training needs analysis and training evaluation, which are flexible enough to be implemented during situations that require either a rapid response or in-depth analysis in the different contexts in which training is delivered (including operations and non-EU-country support).
• The training centre has been working with a group of experts from academia to enhance its compliance with European quality standards in the area of higher education.
• To accompany the practical use of the European Sectoral Qualifications Framework, the Agency published the ‘ESQF Toolkit’ which provides a range of supporting documents.