Experts Wanted
While the number of first-year students in Germany continues to rise and continues to rise, craft enterprises of all kinds are falling by the wayside: more and more vocational training places remain unfilled. The health sector is particularly hard hit: although the number of applicants for medical studies is rising constantly, nurses for the sick and the elderly are sought everywhere. A trend is also reflected in the number of students: the number of students enrolled in technical subjects such as mechanical and electrical engineering is declining, while media and social sciences are becoming increasingly popular.
Most HR professionals now realize that even the most sophisticated marketing strategy in the field of recruiting is not sufficient to transform the labor market. The demographic situation on the one hand, and steady economic growth on the other, are increasing the demand for labor, while at the same time there is a shortage of supply. In the meantime, the labor market has changed to such an extent that young people no longer have to compete for jobs – rather it is the employers who compete for the favor of their future employees. And that is becoming increasingly difficult.
THE “ENGPASSANALYSE” – AN IMPORTANT INSIGHT
The Federal Employment Agency is also expressing increasing concern about developments on the labor market and has been providing the so-called “Engpassanalyse” for recent years. It lists occupations which are particularly at risk – most recently, these were mainly technical occupations such as electrical engineers, mechanics, IT specialists, but also occupations in the health sector such as nurses or old people’s nurses are being desperately sought.
So what measure does the FEA propose? To promote the targeted immigration of skilled workers from abroad. It should be uncomplicated, quick and yet in compliance with important training standards to make it easier for immigrants to work in Germany without citizenship. To this end, the Employment Agency has made available the “Positivliste”: a collection of occupations that were classified as particularly at risk in the bottleneck analysis.
This list is an important decision criterion for issuing visas at the Federal Office for Migration. Accordingly, visa applications are given preferential treatment if there is a particular interest in them on the German labor market. In principle, however, it is examined whether the training completed in the home country is equivalent to German training. In the case of training to be commenced in Germany, only the German language skills and grades of the secondary school are taken into account as assessment criteria.
HURDLES FOR FOREIGN PERSONNEL RECRUITMENT
For the average medium-sized enterprise personnel expert, the immigration of skilled workers seems to be a lengthy procedure that involves a lot of effort and whose yield is kept within limits. In addition to the bureaucratic hurdles, learning the German language is also a major obstacle. Communication between patients and nursing staff is essential, especially in the care professions at risk. Can foreign nurses do their job just as well without the necessary knowledge of German?
This is exactly where Gerandu comes in: Our goal is to make recruiting foreign specialists as easy and quick as possible by simultaneously preparing visa applications and imparting the necessary German language skills to the candidate. The integrative process not only guarantees quality in training and certainty in bureaucratic matters, but also simplifies recruitment enormously, as there is a contact person for all questions.
Foreign specialists do not lack motivation, they only lack support and adequate language and cultural training. By offering CEFR-certified language courses and taking care of all visa inquiries, we form the bridge between your future staff and the requirements of the German authorities. Contact us today and get an offer!