The engineering qualification for refugees and immigrants at the University of Applied Sciences Kaiserslautern is entering the third round.

The Engineering graduation-oriented qualification of the education and further education network pro-mst takes place within the framework of the nationwide support programme Integration through qualification and is a sub-project of the IQ State Network Rhineland-Palatinate. At the university the participants are intesively prepared for practical work in companies over a period of six months. In close partnership with regional companies they get to know the working culture and labaour market in Germany. The programme includes professional adaptation qualifications, specialist language courses but also soft skills such as presentation techniques.

With the new course of the education and futher education network pro-mst at the University of Kaiserslautern, IAQ in Rhineland-Palatinate is entering the third round. 85 percent of the IAQ graduates to date have succeeded in entering the first job market immediately after qualification. They work according to their qualifications as engineers, IT specialists or technicians and thus make an important contribution in areas where skilled workers are urgently needed."High motivation and determination are plus points again and again, we receive positive feedback from the companies that the new employees are characterized by a particalrly high level of motivation and determination", says Silke Weber, head of engineering qualification at the University of Kaiserslautern. The immigrants work hard to make the start successful. They know that many migrants, even well-qualified ones, cannot work in their traditional professions in Germany, even in the long term but remain in unskilled jobs. "This is not only a pity for indivuduals who want to work accourding to their qualifications but also for our society which can benefit from the professional potential of immigrants", says Weber. With the IAQ project started in 2016 the University of Applied Sciences Kaiserslautern is a partner in the IQ State Networks Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland. The programme is funded by the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs and the European Social Fund. Partners in the implemenation are the Federal Ministry of Education and Research and the Federal Employment Agency.

Internet: www.iq-zmint.de, www.iq-rlp.de