From learning German to help with vocational and educational training: The German Federal Ministry of Education and Research is supporting the integration of refugees with an extensive package of measures. "When integration is successful, everyone benefits," says Federal Minister Wanka.
Education empowers you – and that is particularly true for the refugees arriving in Germany right now. Because one thing is certain: integration will not happen without education. More than half of these refugees are younger than 25, so they are at an age at which they need vocational education and training.
This means that a focus on integration through training is going to be needed over the next few years. Besides the federal government's financial package for supporting state governments (Länder) and district authorities, the ministry will be investing an additional €130 million for German learning, having refugees' competences and potential recognised and for integration measures training and work.
After all, learning German is the single most important requirement to enable refugees to integrate into society. In addition to essential but more conventional approaches such as integration and language courses, the ministry is going to launch learning apps, which will be easy for refugees to access and use.
A special literacy programme called "Lesestart" is being launched for refugee children and there is support for voluntary reading mentors. Additionally, voluntary learning assistants will have the opportunity to become qualified, so that they can work alongside teaching staff as they support these children to start learning German.
For this task, there are capable, experienced partners available in the Stiftung Lesen (literacy foundation) and the Deutscher Volkshochschul-Verband e.V. (German Adult Education Association).
Many refugees already have professional or vocational qualifications. The Recognition of Foreign Qualifications Act provides a solid basis for having those qualifications recognised.
According to the Federal Statistical Office, the number of recognised qualifications continues to rise: In 2014, there were around 20,000 recognition procedures: 20 per cent more than in 2013. Some 78 per cent of those completed were classed as fully equivalent and only 3.6 per cent were rejected.
What applies to German youngsters and young people with a migrant background also applies to the newly arriving refugees: careers guidance at an early stage and support in finding a traineeship are the deciding factors for a successful start in training.
That is why the ministry is supporting successful schemes, especially across the regions, which are being taken up by many refugees. This means that the KAUSA service advice points are being extended and the number of them doubled.
At these advisory points, support on dual education is provided for those individuals, young people and their parents who have migration Backgrounds.
Integration takes place at a grassroots level, so whether new arrivals integrated successfully will be determined in local communities.
Since the beginning of 2016, the Federal Ministry for Education and Research has begun enabling all 400 or so rural and urban districts to finance a coordinator to organise and coordinate training on offer for refugees.
The Alliances for Education are also receiving extra support through the "Kultur macht stark" (Culture Empowers You) programme. At present, they work with some 300,000 children and young people.
The German Adult Education Association has already extended the courses it offers. This means that young people can acquire the linguistic and cultural know-how which will help them integrate and make an important contribution to Germany's Willkommenskultur – or welcoming culture.
One thing is sure: if integration is successful in training, on the labour market and in society, then everybody benefits.