Migration has become an increasingly discussed topic among all spheres of life be it policy circles, media or the general public. Further, migration has been greatly politicised as during the past years Europe has experienced considerable number of migrants arriving. It is therefore in the individual countries' interest that the migrant population is socially and economically integrated, hence engage with education and training, and employment. Migrants arrive to European countries with different backgrounds and most are eager to continue their disrupted lives by engaging with learning, finding employment (Learning and Work Institute, 2019) and become fully integrated member of a community again.

However, there is a significant issue about migrants arriving with qualifications that are not described in terms that are used, recognised, and understood in the receiving country (Laczik and Lasonen 2010; Laczik, 2014; Busse et al., submitted) or gained work-experience in their country of origin that is undervalued and unacknowledged in their new home. This places them in an unfavourable situation. Heath and Cheung (2007) argue that these migrants form a new segment of disadvantaged people in the Western societies. In order to pre-empt this happening or remedy this, vocational education and training (VET) together with developing language skills of the country of residence can play a crucial role. VET and pre-VET provisions can offer migrants learning opportunities that equip them with the skills and knowledge, and certificate to become successful in their chosen career (Stalder et al., 2024). VET schools, enterprises and other establishments can act as enabling local learning ecosystems that is based on communications among different stakeholders (Spours and Grainger, 2018; Buchanan et al., 2017; Aerne and Bonoli, 2023) to enhance migrants experiences and equip them with the skills and knowledge to navigate their career. The concept of an ecosystem helps to enhance our understanding of how individuals (including migrants themselves), networks, and institutions interact to enhance migrants' learning, training and later working experiences that may lead to their economic and social integration.

It is vitally important to identify and understand what makes vocational provisions targeted to migrants successful. How individuals, networks, and institutions working together may create an enabling ecosystem that may enhance migrants' opportunities and may lead to their social and economic integration? In what manner do the life transitions of migrants manifest within this ecosystem? These questions will be discussed during the symposium that will bring together three European countries, four national contexts, namely Austria, Germany, England and Switzerland.

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