Context and backgroundIn bilingual or multilingual countries where several languages coexist, it is not uncommon to use a regional language in some labor sectors. In such cases, people who do not speak the local language can experience difficulties in entering or remaining in this sector. A case in point are immigrants wishing to work or working in the care sector: their priority often lies with developing skills in the majority language (and not the regional languages). However, regional language skills amongst staff in the care sector (especially elderly care) have been shown to be of the utmost importance. No set of guidelines exist to teach this group workplace specific communication needs. The main goal of this project has therefore been to raise awareness concerning the importance of teaching workplace specific communication skills to migrants and to develop innovative methods to help language teachers and vocational trainers teach these skills. Longer-term benefitsBy achieving these goals, the COMBI project wishes to effect in the long-term:•Improved communication and regional language skills of migrants wishing to work or working in the (elderly) care sector,•An improved situation for trainers wishing to teach their (migrant) students regional language skills and to focus on workplace specific communication needs.•improved wellbeing of clients in in the care sector,•improved integration: addressing the multilingual needs of immigrants in diverse communities as well as the complex nature of integration.•Increased opportunities for migrant workers on the labor market by improving their professional communication skills. About the project partnersThe COMBI-team is made up of six partners coming from five European countries. Each partner has its own area of expertise varying from academic research, vocational training to digital communication. The Fryske Akademy is the main scientific centre in the province of Fryslân, the Netherlands, and researches fields such as multilingualism, language learning, and regional economic development. Elhuyar Zubize (ZUBIZE) in Spain designs, develops and evaluates tools and methods for enterprises and public institutions to improve Basque language use. The group works towards improving equality and participation and the emancipation of the Basque language. Since it was founded in 2010, the Banaiz Bagara Cultural Association in San Sebastian (Spain) has had a quickly expanding and rich experience in the fields of teaching Basque Language and Culture. Besides teaching, the association organizes different social events like sports, festivals or local cultural activities. Creative Development Centre “Danilo Dolci”, in Sicily, Italy, is a non-profit association involving young people and adults. Together with schools, universities, institutions, associations, and social groups it carries out national and international projects focused on education. Axxell provides integration courses for adult migrants in Finland. Its team of approximately 50 language and guidance teachers offers Finnish language training and career guidance to migrants, helping to integrate newcomers to Finnish society. Swansea University (UK) is an ambitious and innovative university with a strategic vision. The Welsh Department at Swansea University is a dynamic and successful department and has been highly commended for the academic care it gives to its students. The 2014 Research Excellence Framework showed that the Department is 2nd in the UK, and the best in Wales, for the quality of its research.Project activitiesThe main activities that were undertaken during this project included: research in the form of a needs analysis to determine the focus of the projects’ products; development of teaching materials, both printed and digital; a pilot among teachers and migrant care students to determine the effectiveness of the materials developed; dissemination of the research findings and the developed products via four multiplier events, one for each developed product, held in four of the countries of the project’s partners, via presentations on conferences and events, via websites and social media; translations of all materials in the state language of all partners, and, additionally into several minority languages. All activities were discussed and agreed on during the project’s monthly Skype/Zoom which all partners attended. Results and impact-Increased awareness among policy makers concerning the lack of current policies aimed at improving minority language skills among migrants and care personnel.-Increased awareness of the importance of minority language skills among health care staff, policy makers, language teachers, and migrant students.-Availability of free open-source tools for teachers and health care staff to acquaint (migrant) personnel in a positive way with the minority language.-Knowledge among teachers, health care personnel, policy makers at the regional,