Proof of Competence: Recognition of Refugees’ Qualifications in Germany

Not only women face discrimination, there are several minorities in science who do struggle to get recognition. One group is refugees trying to make it in Germany.

Many of us have done it before - packed up our lives into boxes and suitcases. Perhaps we even made a carefully thought-out checklist. What do we need to be able to start over someplace new? Passport, birth certificate, vaccination cards, high school and university diplomas. Everything neatly tucked into plastic folders. Leaving your life behind is always hard, but preparation softens the blow.
Very few refugees get that opportunity. They are often forced to leave even the most basic documentation behind. And when they arrive where they intend to rebuild their lives, they need proof that they’re good at something that can make them a living. Almost a third of refugees in Germany have some kind of formal qualification, including vocational training and university degrees [1]. 

Source: Federal Ministry of Education and Research, 2016 Report on the Recognition Act

The issue is particularly relevant for Germany, not just because it took in a record number of refugees recently, but because the country is in dire need of workers [2]. With an aging population and one of the world’s lowest birthrates, expediting the recognition of foreigners’ qualifications has been seen as an opportunity. According to a report, 78% of applicants received full recognition of their qualifications in 2016 [3]. 

Germany is in dire need of workers.

It turns out the key to making it work is to instill some flexibility into the process. In Germany, individualized evaluation schemes (“skills analyses”) are put in motion when documents are missing. These include face-to-face meetings with advisors and trial working periods, organized through the federal government's “Integration through Qualification” network [4]. Other resources include an online tool (and a smartphone app), available in eight languages, that allows people to search for information about qualification recognition [5].
“Regulated” professions such as doctors, lawyers, and teachers are harder to have recognized without formal proof of education, training, and relevant competences. Procedures for these professions are stringent and vary widely from state to state, with authorities emphasizing the need for more standardization. 

by Ahmed Khalil, PhD Student AG Fiebach

[1] http://bit.ly/2kF0470
[2] http://bit.ly/2jBBdTO 
[3] http://bit.ly/2kIf87T 
[4] http://bit.ly/2khq1g4 
[5] http://bit.ly/2khkUwy