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including interview with Dirk Salewski, head of the Saxony-Anhalt IQ Information Centre for Immigration.

“IQ Café Handbook”: Guideline achieves optimum effect by ensuring consistent quality and providing a flexible structure

Starting point/challenge
The “Saxony-Anhalt IQ Café” digital online events were launched in response to the huge demand for information from people seeking advice during the coronavirus pandemic restrictions. The format – initiated by the Regional Integration Network coordination office – quickly became established and was soon also offered to the target groups of companies, and staff at job centres and employment agencies. The challenge was to efficiently and consistently meet the huge demand for specialist information from the various individuals, companies and institutions seeking that information, but without having to constantly commit new resources or repeatedly adapt the digital formats of the information and advice provided. It was important to create a solution which made it easier for the colleagues and teams involved to run events without extensive preparation and coordination and without having to repeatedly consider the method of delivery.

Implementation of the event format
A range of issues are covered in the IQ Cafés such as the Skilled Immigration Act and what is required for those seeking advice in order to have their foreign qualifications recognised. The methodology used focuses less on traditional presentations and instead on actively responding to questions. This encourages dialogue and establishes a direct connection to related offers from Network IQ and its partners. The Regional Integration Network coordination office brings in experts for the relevant theme who are able to provide specific and solution-focussed responses. These experts are drawn from, among others, the IQ competence centres, the WelcomeCenter Saxony-Anhalt, the Employment Agency‘s employer service, the economic development service, the chambers of commerce and industry, and the chambers of skilled crafts and trades. Meeting in a virtual space means low-threshold access for all participants, and the time involved is also less than for in-person events. Where required, interpreters are brought in for formats involving individuals who speak German as a second language.
The aim of the IQ Café initiators was to establish a professional digital standard which allowed specialist teams to be integrated quickly and provided a consistent level of quality. The purpose of a set framework was to ensure that each event team has a proven structure to draw on. This significantly reduces the time spent on preparation, implementation and follow up work. After putting together a task force comprising various IQ specialist teams and the IQ coordination office of the Regional Integration Network, the “IQ Café handbook” was developed as a standardised guideline. On the one hand, the process was set up to be sufficiently flexible to respond to new specific issues. On the other, it represents a common understanding and also shows compliance with a set framework in the implementation of specialist digital events. This ensures that all participants are able to draw on a proven structure. The guideline can be adapted to various topics and serves as a quality matrix for the digital implementation of the IQ Café. The handbook sets out which requirements must be in place, e.g. technical requirements needed in each case; what time frames can be scheduled for which specific part of the process, and how many people from which areas should form the “core team” for an event. The guideline, however, also defines the precise organisational requirements, such as all experts involved coming together in advance to check the technology and coordinate final arrangements.

Conclusion
Since the event format was introduced in 2023, more than 20 events have been completed with an average of 20 participants in each. For 2024, 19 events of this type were planned or had already taken place. The feedback shows that the combination of the structure provided and the flexibility means that new advice and information requirements can be responded to in a timely manner. The high degree of standardisation provided by the “IQ Café Handbook” ensures a consistent level of quality and reduces preparation time for experts. The guideline makes it much easier to design, implement and reflect on the outcomes of digital events and it is critical the guideline is applied in a straightforward and consistent way.