During the second half of the twentieth century, all Western European states became countries of immigration and permanent settlement. Due to a number of circumstances – income inequalities between countries, processes of economic integration and labour market shortages in host countries – immigration will remain an important feature in these, and increasingly all, European countries. The reality is that immigration has become a ‘normal’ part of life in Europe. The choice for Member States moving forward is not whether to stop immigration, but how to channel it to its own advantage and enhance integration in host countries.
Immigration can significantly contribute to employment, growth and prosperity in Europe. In an era of population ageing, the continued in-migration of people is essential to sustaining European economy and society. While normal levels of migrant growth are sustainable and in fact necessary to sustain Europe’s business model in the present economic circumstances achieving the necessary levels of civic, social and economic integration of the migrant populations is a real challenge and one that is not being successfully overcome.
Migrant communities are by definition mobile and the EC Action Plan (2016) on the integration of third country nationals recognizes the need to harness the potential of technology, social media and the Internet at all stages of the integration process. ENTRADA aims to harness the potential for learning within migrant communities that comes with ‘always-on – always-accessible’ mobile technology platforms, however, partners are of the opinion that the project will only achieve its objectives if bespoke, online learning resources are provided. Challenge-based approaches like webquests provide the perfect framework for developing innovative learning resources that will be appealing and accessible for migrants.