Peak Body Calls for Strategy to Double Germany’s Retention of International Students by 2030

March 24, 2023
2 min read
General

  • Dropout rates for international students in Germany remain notably higher than for domestic students
  • There are calls for expanded and improved student services, including career transition supports and German language training, in order to reduce the dropout level and boost retention of skilled graduates
  • A new position paper from DAAD calls for a multi-part strategy with concrete actions from government, academia, and industry in order to boost student recruitment and retention of skilled graduates

A new position paper from the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) highlights the role that international education can play in addressing labour market needs, and calls for joint action by government, universities, and business in fashioning a new international recruitment and retention strategy.

 

DAAD notes that about 75,000 foreign students begin their higher education studies in Germany each year, about half of those in STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering, and math). Ten years after commencement, roughly a third of those students-turned-graduates are still living and working in Germany. The agency proposes a target to double that cohort of retained graduates, to roughly 50,000 per year, by 2030.

 

Indeed, a new labour strategy introduced by the German government in 2022 anticipates that there will be a shortage of about 240,000 skilled workers by 2026. The DAAD paper sets out ten recommendations for government, higher education institutions, and employers, including that:

 

 

- Government departments take steps to smooth admissions processes for German universities (including an increased reliance on digital documents and overseas assessments), simplify and streamline student visa processes, and promote fair migration policies through bilateral agreements with partner countries, especially those in the Global South.

 

- Universities expand student support services and also invest in improved German language training for foreign students. DAAD explains that expanded services to support graduates’ transition to the job market are also key.

 

In order to double the number of retained graduates by the end of this decade, DAAD notes as well that the number of commencements will also need to increase, and that that will take an expanded recruitment effort. 

 

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For more information visit-https://monitor.icef.com/2023/03/peak-body-calls-for-strategy-to-double-germanys-retention-of-international-students-by-2030/

 

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