Experts believe that the German labour market can accommodate 350,000 refugees per year. But how can integration be achieved in specific terms? The German Confederation of Skilled Crafts has now presented a special training programme which aims to make refugees ready for training.
The Federal Employment Agency (BA) considers that the German labour market is strong enough to accommodate a large number of refugees. "In purely quantitative terms, 350,000 refugees annually do not currently pose a problem for the German labour market because around 700,000 new jobs are create each year," said BA Board Member Detlef Scheele.
He does not believe that there will be any competition with unemployed Germans. "The group of migrants is too small for this to happen."
Scheele put a damper on the hopes expressed by trade and industry that immigration would provide a short-term solution to the problem of the shortage of skilled workers. "The route to the labour market is long. Not everyone will find work, but many will. We expect that ten percent of refugees will be in a job after one year. These figures will rise to 50 percent after five years and 75 percent after between twelve and 13 years."
Gerhard Braun, Vice President of the Federal Association of German Employer Associations, also warned about investing too high expectations in the migrants. "It is an illusion to believe that refugees will solve the demographic problem," he said.
"Only a relatively small proportion of the refugees will be of assistance to us." Experts are of the view that fewer than ten percent of refugees are in possession of an academic or vocational qualification and would be directly deployable here.
"For this reason, a lot of time needs to be invested," Braun went on. "It can take between ten and 15 years until refugees have reached the average level of the population."
In general terms, vocational education and training is considered to be an "entrance ticket" to the German labour market. For this reason, the government and employers have discovered young refugees as a "new target group" for dual training.
Experts believe that the best opportunities for refuges lie in the craft trades. This is both a chance for the young refugees and for the craft trade companies, which in many cases have not been able to fill their training places. The plan therefore is to use a training programme to make around 10,000 refugees ready for training in the craft trades sector over the next two years.
The Federal Government is making 20 million euro available for this purpose. The Ministry of Education will be collaborating closely with the Federal Employment Agency (BA) and with the German Confederation of Skilled Crafts (ZDH) in this process.
Federal Minister of Education Johanna Wanka emphasises: "I would like this programme to address and support young women in particular." The intention is that the training initiative will initially examine skills and language knowledge by using interviews and practical tests in order to be able to make a preliminary selection.
The ministry will prepare applicants in inter-company training centres before the craft trades sector takes over at a later date. The training programme is aimed at asylum seekers, recognised refugees and persons with leave to remain.
Participants must be aged under 25 and will need to have completed the integration course offered by the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) and the BA programme "Perspectives for young refugees".
At the same time, Minister Wanka also wishes to try to bring about a statutory improvement in labour market prospects for young refugees aged over 21.
On the occasion of the presentation of the programme, ZDH President Hans Peter Wollseifer said that, despite the 17,000 training place vacancies at craft trade companies the year before, qualified applicants were required. "We need skilled workers, not people who can push wheelbarrows."
Many refugees had been provided with appropriate preparation in the 550 training centres run by the craft trades. Notwithstanding this, company owners did not need "any additional bureaucratic or emotional hurdles", such as in cases where asylum status had not been clarified.
BA Head Frank-Jürgen Weise also pointed out the importance of rapidly identifying status. "Those who are not recognised will not be taken on." Mr. Weise also explained that it could be difficult to impart the necessary language knowledge, especially with regard to writing skills.
It also needed to be communicated to the refugees just how valuable training in the craft trades was, even if initial earnings were not as high as in other jobs. ZDH President Hans Peter Wollseifer hopes that the targeted apprenticeship preparation planned within the programme will keep down drop-out rates.
Elke Hannack, Deputy Chair of the German Confederation of Trade Unions (DGB), criticised the initiative for not being far reaching enough. "In order to achieve integration in training, we do not need stand-alone solutions for individual branches of trade and industry."
She stated that there was a requirement for provision tat was open to both the indigenous population and refugees. "We must not permit educational competition between Germans and migrants." The trade union IG Metall had presented a concept for a company-based "integration year" which could create a bridge into training and employment for the long-term unemployed as well as for refugees.
Gerhard Braun, Vice President of the Federal Association of German Employer Associations, is currently calling for the abolition of hurdles to temporary work in order to enable refugees to find work more quickly.
Speaking to the German Press Agency, he stated: "The 15-month ban on temporary employment for refugees needs to be done away with, because temporary employment is an important point of entry into the labour market."
Although the Federal Government had relaxed the ban on temporary work for refugees (previously a prohibition period of four years had applied), this does not go far enough for trade and industry representatives.
Mr. Braun is also pushing for guaranteed leave to remain for trainees. "If refugees enter training, both they and their employer need to be sure that they will not be deported during these three years or during the subsequent two years," he said.