News item | 30-09-2022 | 10:39
In order to make the new integration system truly a learning system, the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment (SZW) has set up a structure to collect information and signals from the implementation. The ministry also responds to signals about the operation of the learnability test for integrators. This is what Minister Karien van Gennip of SZW writes in a letter to the House of Representatives.
In the Collective Letter of Civic Integration Act 2021, the minister explains how SZW collects information and signals about the implementation of the Wi2021. The new integration system is designed as a learning system. Implementation is monitored and SZW adjusts the regulations if necessary.
In order to do this, SZW collects information from various sources. Commissioned by the ministry, Divosa has set up a system of Communities of Practice (CoP) where parties in the implementation can exchange experiences with each other and report any bottlenecks. A national CoPs coordination point bundles and disseminates the results.
In addition, DUO informs the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment every quarter about matters such as the number of people subject to an integration obligation and the learning routes they follow. Statistics Netherlands will annually publish the most important developments regarding the learning routes followed, the results of the exams taken and participation in work. Together with the studies of the Monitoring and Evaluation Plan of the Wi2021, in which, among other things, the experiences of integrators are collected, this SZW should provide a good picture of the functioning of the new integration system.
Improvement actions learnability test
In her letter, Minister Van Gennip announces improvement actions for the learnability test. Integrators take this test at the start of their integration process as part of the broad intake at the municipality. The learnability test answers the question of whether the learning route at language level B1, with the option of scaling down to language level A2, is feasible for the person integrating. However, the results of the test do not match expectations sufficiently and too often indicate that the B1 route is not feasible.
Together with chain partners, SZW will therefore carry out a number of technical and substantive improvement actions this year. Municipalities also receive additional information so that they can make adequate preparations for administering the test. It also enables them to better inform those subject to an integration obligation about the purpose and role of the test within the entire integration process. The minister expects to inform the House about the effect of the improvement actions before the summer of 2023.