Measures to Promote Language Acquisition
Young immigrants who wish to begin vocational training can receive support in advance through vocational training preparation or career orientation programs. To participate, they need a basic knowledge of the German language. Programs for learning German are part of the “Basic Education” qualification phase. The following are three programs designed to support language acquisition:
(Youth) Integration Course / Low-Threshold Language Courses
Immigrants under the age of 27 who are no longer of school age are eligible for (youth) integration courses, where basic German language skills are taught.
If young immigrants are not eligible for an integration course, they can attend a low-threshold language course (for more information, see the “Language Support” topic page). Low-threshold language courses also teach basic German language skills (Levels A1/A2). Participation in a low-threshold language course is considered an alternative requirement for participation in the “Vocational Language Support Combined with KomBer” program.
Integration Course Combined with KompAS
Immigrants who have a German high school diploma or can provide proof of recognition of a high school diploma earned abroad can, in parallel with the integration course, participate in the “Competency Assessment, Early Activation, and Language Acquisition” program (KompAS) and take part in vocational training programs. This is because KompAS is designed to facilitate rapid placement in a job or apprenticeship. To achieve this, job application training, vocational language support, and individual coaching are provided. The maximum funding period is eight months. KompAS is aimed at persons granted asylum, recognized refugees, and asylum seekers with good prospects of remaining in Germany who have already been admitted to the integration course.
Participation in the integration course combined with KompAS is a prerequisite for participation in the vocational language support program combined with KomBer.
Vocational Preparation Year – Language (BVJ-S)
Young immigrants of school age can attend a Vocational Preparation Year (BVJ) at a vocational school, regardless of whether they have a school diploma. Students who do not have sufficient language skills can attend separate “Vocational Preparation Year classes” with additional language support (BVJ-S). The goal of this program is to reach German language proficiency at the A2 level after one school year.
Additional Information
In its publication titled “Skills Assessment, Early Engagement, and Language Acquisition (KompAS),” the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees provides detailed information about the KompAS program. On the website of the Saxony-Anhalt State School Authority, you can find information on schooling and language support for children and adolescents with a migrant background.
The IQ Network Lower Saxony explains in its guide “Vocational Training Support for Refugees” what options for vocational training support are available to refugees, depending on their residency status.
In its guide “Access to Employment and Vocational Training Support for Refugees,” the IQ Immigration Resource Center clearly outlines which employment and vocational training support measures refugees can access under certain conditions.
Vocational training offers immigrants the opportunity to open up new prospects in life and to integrate well—both professionally and socially—into their new home, Germany. The opportunities for this are currently very good. Many businesses—particularly in the skilled trades, the restaurant industry, and the healthcare professions—are urgently seeking new talent and offering challenging apprenticeship positions.
Starting a career or an apprenticeship often requires more than just general language skills; subject-specific vocabulary is also necessary. The Bertelsmann Foundation’s “VocationalABC” is designed to help migrants get started in their professional lives: On the website meine-berufserfahrung.de, you’ll find translations of technical terms for more than 30 professions. The site provides professional terminology and phrases in twelve different languages. Links are provided to further information about each professional field.