Germany’s response to the integration of Ukrainian refugees in VET and the labour market

Arrival

People from Ukraine can register to get a special status providing them ‘temporary protection’ according to the residence permit pursuant to §24 Residence Act (AufenthG). This status entitles them to social benefits, medical care and accommodation. In addition, it offers access to the education and labour market and to integration courses. The protection is valid for 1 year and can be extended to 3 years. In a joint declaration by the Ministries of the Interior and Community (BMI) and Labour and Social Affairs (BMAS) of 11 May 2022 it was stated that access to the labour market should be facilitated for refugees from Ukraine.

Various home pages provide initial information and guidance on integration in Germany in English, many also in Ukrainian and Russian:

• Germany4Ukraine offered by the Federal Ministry of the Interior and Community (BMI);
• Questions and answers for Ukrainian refugees offered by the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (BMAS);
• BAMF-NAvI offered by the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees;
• Alliance4Ukraine offered by the Coordinating Alliance of civil society organisations, foundations, government institutions and companies;
• Handbook Germany financed by the authorised representative of the Federal Government for Migration, Refugees and Integration.

Another measure that has proved very useful is the multilingual platform ‘Together in Germany’, which helps refugees find a Ukrainian/German interpreter in the region who can assist with visits to the authorities.

Learning the language

Ukrainian refugees can attend a so-called integration course free of charge to learn the German language. Since there are many women among the Ukrainian refugees, an initial orientation course – a so-called MiA course – was set up, where female migrants meet to discuss everyday life issues and improve their German language skills in the process.

The following home pages provide further examples of language support offered to refugees from Ukraine who are no longer of school age:

• language support and initial orientation courses (EOK) offered by the Bavarian Adult Education Association (Bayerischer Volkshochschulverband);
• for the acquisition or improvement of written competence in German as a second language, the State of Bavaria offers Ukrainians with a residence permit access to Alpha Asyl courses. Persons with a residence permit for the purpose of employment or training (§18 or §16 ff. AufenthG) have access to the Alpha+ besser lesen und schreiben courses;
• the vhs Learning Portal is a nation-wide learning platform for basic education and German as a second language (up to level B2). The learning area ‘German as a second language’ is recognised as standard teaching material in the integration courses. The use of the vhs Learning Portal is free of charge for learners and can be used by refugees from Ukraine who want to learn German independently of course offers.

Integration into the education system

Schools in Germany, including vocational schools, are the responsibility of the Federal States (Länder). The coordinating body here is the Standing Conference of the Ministers for Education and Cultural Affairs of the Länder (KMK). The KMK has set up ‘Task Force Ukraine’ for central coordination to ensure bureaucracy-free schooling for Ukrainian pupils. The Länder have also declared that they will employ refugee Ukrainian teachers at German schools as soon as possible and have already taken some initial actions.

• Bavaria: entering the profession of welcome teacher in integration classes is less bureaucratic, and interested persons can register on the homepage of the Bavarian State Ministry. Experience reports of a Ukrainian teacher shed light on the procedure and obstacles to entering the teaching profession in Germany.
• Hamburg: the Hamburg Authority for Schools and Vocational Training is increasingly looking for teachers to work in International Preparatory Classes (IVK), basic classes or learning groups and provides related information in Ukrainian and Russian. So far, 24 Ukrainian teachers have already been employed in Hamburg. Further Ukrainian teachers are employed on an honorary basis (e.g. due to a lack of sufficient German language skills) and teach classes in the language of origin or work as cultural mediators. Information for teaching staff, parents and migrants is also provided in Ukrainian and Russian.
• North Rhine-Westphalia: 61 Ukrainian teachers have already been recruited and another 185 have expressed interest. Some 1 200 teachers on probation have offered to increase the number of their lessons.
• Brandenburg: the home page of the Ministry of Education in Brandenburg offers a compilation of information for interested Ukrainian teachers in various languages.

The website information for schools, provides useful information to school leaders and teachers on how to integrate refugees from Ukraine in their schools.

Vocational education

As soon as a provisional residence document is issued, the competent immigration office will grant permission to work. This also allows holders to undertake in-company vocational training.

Ukrainian young people who have reached the age of 15 and are seeking vocational training in Bavaria, are to be given priority in the vocational integration of VET schools. There is coordination between the VET schools in organising the integration, supporting one another and exchanging experiences.

As part of the regular school visit, Ukrainian pupils can participate in vocational orientation measures, such as a 2-week practical training period during grades 8-10 of general education. The portal BerufeNavi offers a compilation of verified links on the topic of career guidance. Information on this website is also provided in Ukrainian and Russian.

The Federal Employment Agency can support Ukrainian refugees by paying the cost of living via the vocational training grant (Berufsausbildungsbeihilfe); this is also possible during a prior pre-vocational training programme.

Integration into the labour market

Those who have applied for or already received a residence permit may work or become self-employed. An assessment published in March 2022 by the Institute for Empirical Integration and Migration Research at the IAB sees the integration prospects of Ukrainian refugees as positive.

With regard to professional qualifications acquired abroad, immediate permission for gainful employment by the applicant’s authorities abroad is possible in several hundred professions. This applies to all so-called non-regulated professions, which include all dual training professions, in addition to many academic degrees. Recognition is not necessary for certain non-regulated occupations, such as motor vehicle, mechatronics technician or office management assistant.

Recognition of certificates is required for regulated professions. Regulated professions are legally protected professions, e.g. in the field of care, health and education. In the procedure for the recognition of foreign professional qualifications, coordination between the Federal Government and the Länder is underway to accelerate and simplify the process further.

The portal ‘Recognition in Germany’ (Anerkennung in Deutschland) is the coordinating body for information on the various procedures and regulations for professional recognition. The home page has had all the necessary and important information translated into Ukrainian and Russian, such as a flyer on recognition in Germany.

The Federal Employment Agency helps people to find a job and provides advice on all related issues. Local employment agencies can be found in many towns and cities.

In order to improve the provision of customised support for refugees from Ukraine, a central job centre will be in charge from June 2022.

The bilingual job portal Stepping stone into work for refugees from Ukraine brings together companies located in Bavaria and Ukrainian refugees searching for a job.

Germany gained a lot of experience from the high number of refugees who arrived in 2015, which is now being used for the integration of Ukrainian refugees. The necessary infrastructure has been built up and significant experience has been gained from the established integration programmes. Existing instruments of the BMBF for the integration of refugees into vocational training are used by Ukrainian refugees and may be expanded in the future based on demand.

Read more

• BAMF – Bundesamt für Migration und Flüchtlinge – Informationen für Geflüchtete aus der Ukraine
• Statistical data on refugees – Federal Statistical Office
• Residence permit and work