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Support for refugees and international students in entering the German job market

TU project offers vocational language courses and arranges volunteer work to establish key skills for entry into the job market

Qualified employees are urgently needed on the job market in Saxony. International students at Chemnitz University of Technology could fill these gaps, but many employers are hesitant to hire international employees. The reasons are diverse and range from a lack of German language skills to cultural differences. Those are results from the Fachkräftemonitor 2018 (german PDF) and a company survey by the Career Service at Chemnitz University of Technology. The survey was carried out in the first quarter of 2019 and sent to 105 partner companies. 

In order to break down language barriers and prepare international students even better for the German job market, the Career Service is starting the "InTUCgrate" project this summer semester. The project is aimed primarily at enrolled refugees and international students who want to obtain important key skills by improving their German language skills and starting voluntary work, and thus to facilitate their integration into the German job market.

As part of the project, three-week language courses are offered during the semester break. The courses are designed to teach language skills, particularly in the areas of job interviews, business correspondence, meetings or customer conversations. 

In addition, the new "Language Lunch" format offers international students the opportunity to practice their German language skills through interaction with other students. 

Besides improving their language skills, participants are given the opportunity to gain practical social experience outside of their studies. Through placement in volunteer work at initiatives and associations, students can expand their communication skills, teamwork, self-initiative, willingness to take responsibility and organizational skills. The acquisition of key skills plus local networking, especially with civil society actors such as initiatives and associations in Chemnitz, should facilitate easier entry into the job market.

The first language course is expected to take place in August/September 2020 and is open to enrolled refugees and other international students with German language skills of at least B1 level. The quicker the better as the number of people is limited to twelve. 

Please send the following documents to intucgrate@tu-chemnitz.de if you want to participate in the program:

  • proof of German language skills (at least B1 level with certificate)
  • current transcript of records
  • motivation letter in German or English including the country of origin

Further information on the project is available here: https://www.tu-chemnitz.de/career-service/integra.php.

The German Academic Exchange Service funds the project with funds from the Federal Ministry of Education and Research as part of the “Integra” Funding ProgrammeIntegrating Refugees in Higher Education.

For more information, please contact Anja Krumbiegel, Tel. +49 371 531-33706, email: intucgrate@tu-chemnitz.de

(Author and translation: Maria Hauschild)

Matthias Fejes
22.06.2020

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