The European Asylum Curriculum has a comprehensive range of modules covering the entire area of international protection. The curriculum includes:

• core modules covering the essential knowledge required by asylum officials;

• a range of modules for reception officials;

• foundation and introductory modules aimed at persons starting to work in the area of international protection or persons from other sectors who deal with asylum matters on a regular basis, such as registration officers;

• advanced and specialised modules which enable experienced officials to consolidate skills or specialise in a particular area of competence such as vulnerability;

• courses for trainers – we use a train-the-trainer methodology to support the development of skills, knowledge, and competencies of trainers who then train personnel in national administrations, thus creating a multiplier effect;

• tailor-made training designed and developed to cater for the specific needs of a particular profile, organisation, Member State, region and/or operational context.

The modules have been developed within the framework of the Common European Asylum System’s (CEAS) legal instrument – the Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees (the Refugee Convention) of 1951 – and its Protocol and other relevant international and European law. The European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA) incorporates expertise from its Asylum Knowledge Centre and Operational Support Centre, and works in close collaboration with experts from Member States and external experts with extensive knowledge and experience on the specific topics. Training modules are reviewed by the EUAA Reference Group, whose members include experts from the European Council on Refugees and Exiles, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the European Commission.

The EUAA’s goal is to place learners and their administrations firmly at the heart of everything it does. It makes sure the training it offers is authentic and corresponds to the actual day-to-day tasks of target learners by using an asylum and reception competency framework, known as the European Sectoral Qualifications Framework (ESQF) for asylum and reception officials. The educational standards matrix defines what asylum and reception officials should know or be able to do at the end of a training sequence in order to achieve a qualification. These learning outcomes are aligned with the tasks identified in the corresponding occupational standards. This same matrix is also used to define the level of learning as it is aligned with the levels of the European qualifications framework (EQF)[1] . This learning-outcome-based approach ensures that each training module focuses on the knowledge, skills, and/or responsibility and autonomy required for Member State officials[2]  to perform their duties efficiently and effectively.

Training modules are delivered via different media. Most are delivered through a blended-learning methodology (face-to-face sessions facilitated by a trainer, combined with online and independent learning). Some just have an online component, thereby enabling self-paced learning, while others are delivered through webinars.

Article 8(4) of the EUAA regulation stipulates that the agency has to ensure that the training it delivers is of high quality. In other words, EUAA training identifies key principles and best practices with a view to guaranteeing greater convergence of administrative methods, decisions and legal practices. The EUAA is therefore fully committed to upholding the highest standards of quality, efficiency and transparency as reflected in its Training and Learning Strategy, which is implemented through its training quality assurance framework. This framework aligns the EUAA’s training activities with European standards and guidelines for quality assurance in the field of education and vocational training. The agency works closely with Member States to ensure that these standards are maintained wherever training is delivered.

Training modules are developed in English, with the possibility to translate them into other languages.

If you are an asylum or reception official working for a national authority, you should contact your training national contact point. They will inform you about upcoming training organised both by the EUAA and nationally. If you are not an asylum or reception official working for a national authority, you may still be eligible to register for training if the tasks you perform are covered by the occupational standards.

For more information, you can visit the landing page of the EUAA Learning management system, our website, the Rules for participation in EUAA Training or write to us at training@euaa.europa.eu.

For more detailed information on when training organised by the EUAA is scheduled, consult the training plans. For national training plans, contact your Training National Contact Point.

Twice a year, the Training and Professional Development Centre issues an open call to Member States that would like the EUAA to fund translations of training modules into their language.

Translation requests are evaluated by an internal committee and ranked according to various criteria, such as the version of the module requested, the number of participants per module in relation to the size of the Member State’s asylum authority, historical data on the implementation and use of the European Asylum Curriculum, and budget. When a training module is translated, all components are translated and videos or animations (if any) are subtitled.

It takes between 6 and 8 months to translate all the components of a training module, depending on the length of the training module, whether previous versions have been translated, workload, the time of year and other resources. After translation, it takes another 8 to 10 weeks to build the module online. Urgent requests are dealt with on a case-by-case basis.

This catalogue should be read in conjunction with the training plan. For info on when these modules are happening, consult the training plan.