Learning to manage the self and the hidden injuries of migration

Abstract

Global migration is increasing to unprecedented levels, especially from non-OECD countries to OECD countries. One of the new challenges for lifelong learning is that migrants are expected to be responsible for ensuring that they have the capabilities and learning to adapt to new contexts but qualifications and experiences obtained in one national system are often not recognised in different national systems. This article draws on an empirical study from Australia to show how adults’ informal learning can support skilled migrants’ career adaptability and employment. The findings from this qualitative research show how migrants’ participation in social networks and learning communities, through both paid and voluntary work, are integral to learning to manage their self and lead to transformation learning and settlement. But learning to adapt to new contexts is emotional as well as cognitive work. When migrants hold multiple identities, transformation learning has negative sides. These findings reveal the hidden injuries of migration and a continuing need for adult educators to support informal learning in workplaces and communities to encourage culturally diverse groups to learn to live and work together.

Keywords:

• Skilled migration
• lifelong learning
• emotional learning
• transformative learning

Notes

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1 The migrant participants in the study entered Australia under the skilled occupation visa programme, which included the business visa programme and could entitle the entrant to permanent or temporary residency. Only permanent residents have access to government and state funding for study in the tertiary sector (colleges and universities), public health care and social benefits for the unemployed. Temporary residents are expected to be self-supporting and are regarded as international students for fee purposes and Government loans for tertiary study are available only to those who have become citizens, not those on permanent or temporary residency visas.

2 SOL refers to the Skilled Occupation List designed to identify the skills accepted for permanent or temporary migration to Australia, http://www.immi.gov.au/work/pages/skilled-occupations-lists/skilled-occupations-lists.aspx [accessed 1 November 2014].

3 As noted above, the migrant participants in the study entered Australia under the skilled occupation visa programme, which could entitle the entrant to permanent or temporary residency. Only permanent residents had access to government and state funding for study in the tertiary sector (colleges and universities), public health care and social benefits for the unemployed.

4 Employer sponsored visas could be either permanent or temporary.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by National Centre for Vocational Education Research, [NR11104-21043].