Germany faces shortage of skilled labour

In many countries unemployed youth queuing up in front of labour offices is a common sight. Not so in Germany. The country increasingly faces the opposite problem - a shortage of qualified young people willing to take up the occupational challenge in one of the world`s most advanced economies.

According to a recent report in Germany's most popular news magazine "Der Spiegel", experts are warning that the shortage of skilled labour could become an increasingly serious threat to Germany's economy in years to come. Companies in certain industrial sectors are already struggling to fill vacant positions. Demographic developments will only make that worse, as the German population ages and the labor force shrinks.

The government is now debating to ease immigration regulations for highly qualified professionals from non-EU countries even further in order to allow German companies to employ foreign specialists. Earlier this year, a consortium of German foundations and charities set up a cross-party commission to look at the problem. The commission is headed by Armin Laschet, former state integration minister for North Rhine-Westphalia, and former German Defense Minister Peter Struck. Laschet told "Der Spiegel" that "we need to campaign around the world to attract the best minds. That effort already begins, incidentally, with our embassies, consulates and chambers of commerce located abroad."

The commission wants the government to lower bureaucratic hurdles so that companies can hire skilled workers from abroad more easily. In addition, it asks for measures that will make it more straightforward for foreign students to work in Germany and stay in the country after graduation. As of now, non-EU graduates of German university are granted one extra year to find a suitable job in order to obtain a five-year work and residence permit.

Chris
germanstudycentre@gmail.com

Germany’s high-tech state abolishes tuition fees

The German federal state of Baden-Württemberg is home to cutting-edge multinationals like Daimler Benz, Bosch and SAP. It also houses many of Germany’s most higly reputed and competitive universities, some of them several hundred years old and playing in the league of Cambridge and Harvard.

Until this year domestic and international students had to pay 1,000 EUR of tuition years per anno, apart from the usual enrollment fees of around 300 EUR. The new Green / Social Democratic coalition government of the state, recently elected in a landslide victory, has now fullfilled one of its promises voiced during the election campaign and abolished tuition fees from the coming year onwards.

Starting from 2012 you can study in one of the world’s most technologically advanced regions for – literally – peanuts. At least, when it comes to fees. Living expenses, of course, remain a burden on your wallet. You need at least 8,000 EUR per year to survive in the home of Benz and Bosch.

For an overview of current tuition fees in all German federal states please visit the following link (in English):
http://www.studis-online.de/StudInfo/Gebuehren/tuition_fees.php

Chris
germanstudycentre@gmail.com

Germany: More and more study programmes taught in English

It is still a widely held misconception that advanced German language skills are required in order to study at a German university. This is true for most undergraduate programmes and courses in medicine, pharmacy, nursing and law. However, at the master’s and doctoral level the choice of English-taught study programmes is increasing by the day – especially in the engineering and natural sciences but also in business administration and economics.

New English-medium courses generally offer state-of-the-art training in the most future-oriented areas. Thus, the newly opened programmes cover fields like the following:

• bioinformatics
  
• bionics & biomimetics
  
• microbiology & bioengineering
• pharmaceutical biotechnology
• nano technology & neuroscience
• geomatics
• computational engineering & simulation sciences
• medical systems engineering
• optics & photonics
• media & communication technology
• automotive software engineering
• renewable energy systems
• international business administration & foreign trade
• international tourism

If you are interested in and feel qualified for any of these English-taught graduate programmes, drop us a line to get more details.

Having highlighted the widening course offerings in English at public German universities, it remains a fact that Germany is not an anglophone country and probably will not become one in the foreseeable future. Most written information (street signs, train and bus schedules, information on food items in the supermarket etc.) is only given in the local language, and if you ask someone to help you out, you will notice that the vast majorty of Germans speak very rustic English, at best.

Therfore, to get around in daily life and to feel at home in the country you need at least some basic communicative skills in German. The German government has opened language and cultural centres in most countries, including India, that offer excellent and affordable language classes at different levels of proficiency.

Chris
germanstudycentre@gmail.com

Increase in counselling charges

Due to the high inflation rate in India and the ongoing devaluation of the Rupee in relationship to other currencies, the German Study Centre Cochin (DSZ) will have to increase its counselling charges from 15 September 2011 onwards by app. 10 %.

For details please contact us by email.

Chris
germanstudycentre@gmail.com

Allow time for your visa application

The unexpected rush of Indian students to Germany has led to a situation of overload at some German consular authorities in the country. The situation is particularly severe at the German consulate in Chennai, which is responsible for all visa applications from South India. This is an unacceptable situation, and it is a pity that the new consulate in Bangalore is still not fully operational.

Indian applicants for student residence permits presently run the risk of missing important deadlines at their German universities. It is highly advisable to contact the respective VFS offices as soon as possible to make an appointment for the required visa interview at the German consulate / embassy.

Don't forget: Residence permits (whether for work or study) cannot be issued by consular authorities without prior consultation with the respective immigration offices in Germany. After the visa interview, it usually takes between 4 and 6 weeks before the entry visa can be stamped into the candidate's passport.

At the present situation, first contact with the VFS representatives should be made at least 10 weeks before the envisaged date of departure.

Chris
germanstudycentre@gmail.com

Growing demand for qualified manpower

Due to the present economic boom in Germany, the demand for qualified manpower is rapidly increasing. According to new statistics, the shortage of professionals with qualifications in engineering, the sciences and mathematics has increased to 117,000. The German government sees no chance to recruit enough qualified young people from the domestic population. It has, therefore, plans to make the present, already liberal stay-back options even more attractive to study graduates from abroad.

For international students, Germany has become the third most important study destination, just behind the US and UK and ahead of other major players in the international educational scene like Canada, Australia and New Zealand. In 2009, around 235,000 students with foreign passports were enrolled at German universities. In the same year, however, only 5,000 graduates from outside the EU stayed back in Germany to work. Most of the international students either returned home or moved on to English-speaking countries after finishing their studies.

Keeping the high public subsidies for university education and the shortage of manpower in mind, this situation is very unsatisfactory in the eyes of the German government. One problem are lacking German language skills of many foreign graduates. Most employers in Germany still expect new employees to communicate fluently in the local language. So, if you consider staying back in the country after your studies, start investing some time into learning German as early as possible!

Chris
germanstudycentre@gmail.com

Germany: First choice for international students

Good news for German universities: Germany has been named as the most supportive country for overseas students, reports the BBC based on an international ranking by the British Council. The UK was ranked in third place, with China coming fourth, ahead of the United States in sixth place, in a table showing 11 of the biggest players in the overseas student market.

The strongest overall performance was from Germany, which has promoted a deliberate policy of internationalisation. Among the attractions for international students, writes the BBC, is the increasing availability in Germany of courses taught entirely in English, so much so that students can complete degrees without ever having to speak German. Another major attraction of Germany is that overseas students do not pay any more in tuition fees than home students. Universities in many parts of Germany do not charge any tuition fees, which means in those places overseas students do not pay any fees at all.

For the complete BBC article:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-12610268

Chris
germanstudycentre@gmail.com

Rush of students to Germany

International students applying to German universities for the fall 2011 intake will be facing tough competition. The world is slowly climbing out of the recession, and Germany is presently one of the economically most dynamic countries in the West. Add to this the attraction of low or no tuition fees, moderate living expenses and excellent scientific reputation, and you will easily understand why Europe's most populous state has become a crowd-puller for young people worldwide.

This being said, chances are still good for the brainy around the world. If your CGPA is over 70%, you are in the game. Give your profile a boost by obtaining above-average IELTS, TOEFL and / or GRE scores. When it comes to graduate students, most German universities appreciate relevant work experience and basic German language skills.

For understandable reasons, most international students target English-taught master programmes in Germany. Few are aware that the country offers excellent opportunities for school leavers (after standard 12). They are smoothly integrated into the German university system by a specially designed pre-degree or "bridge" year.

When thinking about higher studies in Germany, don't avoid the German language. The country has one of largest job markets for high-tech professionals in the world and offers generous stay-back options for graduates from non-EU countries. Knowing German is the door opener to these vast opportunities...

For more information contact:

Chris
germanstudycentre@gmail.com