On 20 November, the DAAD and the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) launched a new initiative aiming to recruit international students and graduates and qualify them as future skilled workers for the German labour market. The BMBF will support the new initiative with a total of EUR 120 million until 2028.

The initiative comprises two programmes:

The Promotion of International Talent for Integration into Studies and the Labour Market (FTI) programme offers universities an opportunity to support international students with tailored measures such as preparatory courses, academic counselling and social integration programmes, as well as professional counselling and employability activities. Up to 70 projects with ca. EUR 1 million budget per project until 2028 will be funded starting from spring 2024.

The second programme, Profi plus - Academic Adaptation Qualification for the German Labour Market, is aimed at supporting international academics with a foreign higher education qualification and, possibly, some professional experience to adapt to the requirements of the German labour market. Such support can involve additional specialised training, job application coaching or job-related language and communication training. Participants in the programme will also gain practical experience in companies in the respective university region and thus have career entry or promotion opportunities. Funding is planned for up to 25 university projects, with ca. EUR 700,000 for per project until 2028.

The DAAD will also provide academic support for the initiative with thematically appropriate studies and conferences.