Ukraine: Can Germany manage the integration of refugees?
Bremen protests against the war in Ukraine
Germany is currently experiencing the largest movement of refugees since 2015. Experts warn that there could be problems, especially with education and labor market integration.
Ihor Bielozorov wants to work. The Ukrainian dentist was on vacation when he was surprised by the war in his homeland. In order not to be a guest forever with his acquaintances near Osnabrück in northwestern Germany, he quickly looks for his own income. But it is not that easy.
On Wednesday, German Labor Minister Hubertus Heil discussed how refugees from Ukraine can find their way into the German labor market. The signs are actually good, because the level of education in Ukraine is considered high by international standards.
Many refugees have moved on to Germany, especially via Poland
About 280,000 refugees from Ukraine have been registered in Germany since the beginning of the war. According to a new EU directive, they are allowed to work in Germany immediately.
Integration fails due to recognition of qualifications
It is primarily the German recognition procedure for foreign professional qualifications that has so far kept Ihor Bielozorov from working in his learned profession. According to acquaintances, it will take one to two years before he can officially work as a dentist in Germany. Until then, he must pass a language exam as well as a specialist exam — even though Bielozorov has already worked as a dentist in Ukraine for two years.
“The recognition procedures are expensive, lengthy and complex,” says Martina Müller-Wacker in an interview with DW. The expert on professional integration is therefore calling for the federal government to offer the procedures free of charge and to provide a stipend to support the further training measures that are often necessary. Because migrants often don’t even try to get recognition in the first place due to the high hurdles, and remain in lower-paying jobs.
Helpers receive refugees from Ukraine in Berlin
The complexity of the procedures is the main drawback. According to Müller-Wacker, about 1,500 different agencies in Germany are responsible for professional recognition, federal and state law sometimes differ, and authorities are overwhelmed. There are professions for which recognition is necessary and those that do not require official approval. The Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training recommends a brochure to those affected, which is also available in Ukrainian.
Those who have learned a profession abroad often have to submit files of documents for recognition: Certificates, study lists and expert reports. Müller-Wacker therefore proposes that a cap be placed at the federal level on which documents can be required.
Following talks between Federal Labor Minister Hubertus Heil and top representatives of employers, business and social associations, and trade unions, the SPD politician called the recognition of foreign qualifications a “Herculean task.
Labor Minister Hubertus Heil advocates recognition of professional qualifications
Simplifying access to the labor market for foreigners is included in the traffic light coalition agreement. After Wednesday’s meeting, Heil referred to further meetings, but did not announce any concrete decisions.
In the past two years, the nationwide “Integration through Qualification” (IQ) program has advised nearly 5,000 Ukrainians on recognition procedures; most often female teachers. For them, however, the hurdles are particularly high. Bavaria does not even allow female teachers from non-EU countries, and in most of the federal states the teachers have to complete a traineeship and often study a second subject on the side. But expert Müller-Wacker has a word of advice: “In Hamburg, female teachers can only enter the teaching profession with an in-depth subject.”
Schools and daycare centers already at the limit
In general, the education sector. A good half of the refugees from Ukraine are children. But: “There is a shortage of teachers and buildings in almost all of Germany’s federal states,” says Juliane
Karakayali from the Protestant University of Applied Sciences Berlin.
Karakayali is skeptical that integration in schools will succeed. Schools and daycare centers are poorly prepared.
Wichtig ist der Professorin für Soziologie, geflüchtete Kinder nicht separiert zu unterrichten. Denn so fehle den Kindern der Anschluss, um Deutsch zu lernen. Die Gefahr sei, dass Kinder es dann langfristig schwerer am Arbeitsmarkt haben.
Der rechtliche Anspruch auf Schulbesuch ist in den Bundesländern unterschiedlich geregelt. Laut Karakayali haben Kinder in Berlin bereits ab dem Tag ihrer Ankunft das Recht auf einen Schulplatz; in Nordrhein-Westfalen und Bayern hänge das vom Aufenthaltsstatus ab und könne auch bis zu sechs Monate dauern. Entscheidend für die Zukunft Geflüchteter aus der Ukraine ist also, wo genau in Deutschland sie landen.
Hingehen, wo es Jobs gibt
Ihor Bielozorov will mit seiner Freundin Oksana dahin in Deutschland ziehen, wo er leicht Arbeit findet. Die Geflüchteten aus der Ukraine, die keine Ersparnisse und keine Kontakte haben, können sich ihren Wohnort jedoch nicht aussuchen.
Ihre Verteilung erfolgt deutschlandweit durch den sogenannten Königsteiner Schlüssel. Demnach müssen die bevölkerungsreichen Bundesländer die meisten Menschen aufnehmen.
In Köln nehmen Schüler aus der Ukraine schon am Unterricht teil
Die Länder wiederum verteilen intern in der Regel in solche Kommunen, die Platz haben. Herbert Brücker vom Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB) warnt daher, dass Geflüchtete häufig in strukturschwache Regionen gebracht werden. Dort stehen zwar oft Wohnungen leer, aber es gibt keine Jobs. Die Erfahrung der vergangenen Jahre hat laut IAB gezeigt, dass Geflüchtete, die ihren Wohnort selbst wählen konnten, eher Arbeit finden.
Die Privaten sind flexibler
Unterdessen schießen private Initiativen aus dem Boden, um Geflüchtete aus der Ukraine in Arbeit zu bringen. Internet-Portale wie UATalents oder Imagine Ukraine sind Jobbörsen für alle Berufszweige; die Deutsche Bahn schaltet eine Telefon-Hotline in russischer und ukrainischer Sprache zur Jobvermittlung.
Bei allem Aufwand um die Integration bleibt offen, ob die Menschen aus der Ukraine hierbleiben werden, ob sich also die langwierige Anerkennung von Abschlüssen und die Mühen lohnen. Für Ihor Bielozorov jedoch stellt sich die Frage nicht: “Wir werden bleiben. Unsere Wohnung wurde zerstört, da müssen wir sowieso von Null anfangen”, sagt der Zahnarzt aus Kiew.
Source: dw.com
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