Project Releases

Herford. An informational meeting took place on  05/11/2018 in Herford for participants of the KomBer project. Mrs. Makbule Çevik (MOZAIK gGmbH) briefed 14 participants on their career opportunities through the recognition of foreign qualifications in Germany as part of the informational events for refugees and new immigrants.

Franziska Günther, job coach at IN VIA Bielefeld - Herford e.V., introduced MOZAIK gGmbH and the speaker Makbule Çevik at the beginning of the event as well as the topic of the meeting. Makbule Çevik then welcomed the participants and informed them about the procedure and process for the recognition of foreign vocational qualifications.

The primary aim of the information event was to show new immigrants the conditions for taking up employment in Germany and to draw attention to existing counselling and mediation services in the district of Herford (of the IQ network and educational counselling points). Individuals should be encouraged to use the IQ recognition and qualification counselling points to increase their chances of employment in Germany through recognition of foreign qualifications. In this context, it was pointed out that the "Gesetz zur Verbesserung der Feststellung und Anerkennung im Ausland erworbener Berufsqualifikationen" (BQFG - Act to Improve the Determination and Recognition of Professional Qualifications Acquired Abroad), which grants applicants with state-recognised, foreign vocational qualifications a legal entitlement to an assessment of equivalence with a German vocational qualification, was introduced on 1st April 2012.

In addition, Makbule Çevik talked about the weekly consulting hours offered by the multilingual recognition and qualification consulting service at the Employment Agency and the Job Center in Herford. The course instructors were also informed about the multilingual products and materials from the recognition and qualification counselling, which were developed within the framework of the IQ NRW subproject "Recognition and Qualification Counselling for Refugees at the Integration Points Herford/Minden".

Finally, the participants talked about their different qualifications, ranging from missing school certificates to university degrees. In a joint discussion it was also discussed which language level is advisable for successful vocational training and which is required by training companies. It was noted that a B2 language level can be very beneficial for successful integration into the labour market.

Picture gallery of information events for refugees and new immigrants on the recognition of foreign qualifications:

In the context of the informational meetings for refugees and new migrants, Ms. Linda Boly (project employee of MOZAIK gGmbH) attendedon June 11th and 18th, 2018, a total of three courses in the Volkhochschule (Adult Education Center -VHS) in the Herford district. 36 participants were informed about their career entry opportunities by means of recognition of foreign qualifications in Germany.

The responsible employee in the German department, Mr. Olivier Tchoing Godje (VHS in Herford County), introduced MOZAIK gGmbH at the beginning of the events, introduced the topic of the presentation and then handed it over to the course leaders and the speaker.

The aim of the event was to make it clear that recognition or partial recognition of foreign qualifications will significantly increase employment opportunities or the possibility of finding a training place in Germany. It was also pointed out that the "Gesetz zur Verbesserung der Feststellung und Anerkennung im Ausland erworbener Berufsqualifikationen" (BQFG - Law to Improve the Assessment and Recognition of Professional Qualifications Obtained Abroad) has existed since 1st April 2012. This act grants applicants with state-recognized foreign professional qualifications a legal claim to verification of equivalence with a German vocational qualification.

The group of participants in the three courses was very diversified and had different requirements for starting a career in Germany. It ranged from a lack of school-leaving certificates to university degrees. Questions that arose during the information event included: "Is there a way to have his experience recognised? Can several academic qualifications also be recognised?" or "How long does professional recognition take?

In a joint discussion it was also discussed which language level is advisable for a successful training period or is required by training companies. Course instructors and participants came to the conclusion that a B2 language level "opens many doors" professionally and that it is worthwhile to develop language competence.

Furthermore, Ms. Linda Boly (project employee of MOZAIK gGmbH) provided information about the weekly consulting hours offered by the multilingual recognition and qualification consultancy at the Agentur für Arbeit (Employment Agency) in Herford as well as the course instructors about the multilingual products and materials from the recognition and qualification consultancy, which were developed as part of the IQ NRW subproject "Recognition and qualification consultancy for refugees in the Integration Points Herford/Minden"

Representatives from the following institutions took part in the information event:

Mr Olivier Tchoing Godje (VHS in Herford District)

Picture gallery of the information events:

Minden- On 17/01/2018, MOZAIK gGmbH conducted an IQ exchange workshop on the subject of "Professional IQ recognition and qualification advice on the professional equality procedure for foreign qualifications according to the Occupational Qualification Assessment Act (BQFG)". 18 participants from migration and refugee advice centers, from the labor market, continuing education and integration fields as well as volunteers from the Minden-Lübbecke district were informed about the so called Recognition Act and the local recognition and qualification consultancy of MOZAIK gGmbH.

After the welcome by Gisela Posch (Integration City Minden), who in cooperation with MOZAIK gGmbH had organized the event, as well as an introductory round of the participants, Cemalettin Özer (project leader MOZAIK gGmbH) spoke about the professional equality procedure of foreign degrees according to the Vocational Qualifications Assessment Act (BQFG). Afterwards Makbule Çevik (project worker MOZAIK gGmbH) talked about the time of the multilingual recognition and qualification consulting in the Employment Agency in Minden as well as the multilingual products and materials from the recognition and qualification consulting, which are part of the IQ NRW subproject "Recognition and Qualification Consulting for Refugees in the Herford / Minden Integration Points ".

The aim of the event was on the one hand to make it clear that by recognizing or partially recognizing foreign qualifications, employment opportunities or the possibility of finding an apprenticeship position in Germany increase; on the other hand to exchange ideas with all regional stakeholders, further networking and develop cooperation opportunities. Since 1/4/2012, there is the "Law on improving the establishment and recognition of professional qualifications acquired abroad" (BQFG). Applicants with state-recognized foreign professional qualifications have a legal right to review equivalence with a German vocational qualification.

Representatives from the following institutions took part in the exchange workshop: Agentur für Arbeit Minden, Stadt Minden, AWO Arbeiterwohlfahrt-Kreisverband Minden-Lübbecke, Jugendmigrationsdienst Minden-Lübbecke, Fach-Werk. e.V., Industrie- und Handelskammer Ostwestfalen zu Bielefeld, Diakonie Stiftung Salem, Evangelischer Kirchenkreis Minden, Caritasverband Minden.

Picture gallery of the IQ exchange workshops:

The 4th education conference on "Transition School - Occupation with a focus on training" took place on 19/06/2017 in Herforder Kreishaus. 23 exhibitors as well as numerous guests from the fields of politics, school, education and further education, culture, economy, sport and church were represented.

As part of the IQ NRW subproject "IQ Recognition and Qualification Advice for Refugees in the Integration Points Herford / Minden", Linda Boly (project worker MOZAIK gGmbH) provided information about the process of professional recognition and counseling periods of professional recognition and qualification advice centers for refugees in the Integration Points of the Federal Employment Agency. She made it clear that the recognition or partial recognition of foreign qualifications, increases significantly employment opportunities or the opportunity to find an apprenticeship position in Germany. In addition, further free advice and support offers of the IQ Network NRW as well as the advice on career development, the advice on "Bildungscheck" (Education check) and "Bildungsprämie" (Education bonus) and the support program "Jugend in Arbeit plus" (Youth at Work plus) of the MOZAIK gGmbH were presented.

The aim of the event was to promote and develop further networking and the design of the educational region with all those involved. Politicians, regional actors, companies and schools should be engaged in conversation and actively promote a successful transition from school to work, especially with regard to the shortage of skilled workers in Germany. After the welcome by the district administrator Jürgen Müller (District of Herford), Maximilian Kuntze (Detmold District Government) and the mayor of the city of Bünde Wolfgang Koch, the state program "Kein Abschluss ohne Anschluss" (no dead-end qualifications) was presented. It was announced here that the program will continue to be promoted under the leadership of the new NRW coalition. Afterwards, the visitors were able to assign three specialist forums in two rounds and choose between the topics of employee recruitment, successful study orientation and training for people with disabilities.

The conclusion of the education conference was a panel discussion on the topic "Mittel-Wege-Beispiele für weitere positive Ausgestaltung des Bildungsmarktes im Kreis Herford“ (Alternative ways for further positive development of the education market in the district of Herford). Here again the importance of a good exchange of all actors as well as a further good cooperation in the district of Herford was assured.

The subject of the speech by MOZAIK on 02th February 2017 in the harbor school Minden and on 27th February 2017 in the Marienstift Minden was "Professional entry in the labor market and the recognition of foreign degrees".

A total of 40 participants of the B1 language courses of the language project I.Q.I. (Integration, Qualifizierung, Integration) of the city / refugee partner Minden participated in the information events. In the courses of the I.Q.I. refugees are looked after by Natalie Egert and the language lecturers Burghardt and Mrs. Kampshof (City Minden). The goal is the integration into working life and a self-financed livelihood.

In the framework of the IQ NRW subproject "IQ Recognition and Qualification Advice for Refugees" in the Integration Points Herford / Minden, Kani Karim and Linda Boly (project workers MOZAIK gGmbH) were invited as guest lecturers. They told the participants about accessibility and requirements for the German labor market and the procedure for professional recognition. In addition, the free advisory and promotional offers of the IQ Network NRW were presented. The aim of the information event was to draw attention to newcomers to use the vocational recognition and qualification advice for refugees in the Integration Points of the Federal Employment Agency in Herford / Minden, thereby increasing employment opportunities in Germany through recognition of their foreign qualifications.

After the lecture, questions of the participants were discussed. The main concern of the participants was to receive information on how to find training places, if there are age limits for taking up a training and how the recognition process takes place. At the end, the participants were given the opportunity to arrange individual consultation appointments with the employees of MOZAIK gGmbH.

Herford - On 16th December 2016, the consultants of MOZAIK gGmbH met in the team meeting with 12 employees of the Integration Points Herford and Minden to exchange ideas in the large meeting room of the Employment Agency Herford. In 2016, 249 refugees were advised on qualifications acquired in their country of origin at the Integration Points Herford and Minden-Lübbecke.

In the team meeting of the Integration Points, led by Andreas Feuchert (team leader Integration Point Kreis Herford), Makbule Çevik (MOZAIK worker) and Kani Karim (MOZAIK worker) welcomed the attendees. Subsequently, Makbule Çevik presented the results of the multilingual IQ consultation for refugees at the Herford and Minden integration points for the period from the beginning of January to the end of November. "So far, we have advised 249 people, 195 men and 54 women in the Integration Points. We did a total of 324 consultations" Makbule Çevik explained. About 70% of those seeking advice are from Syria, about 11% from Iran and about 10% from Iraq. 84% of IQ counseling was conducted either in the original languages of the person seeking advice (Arabic, Kurdish, Persian) or in English, as at the time of the consultation only about 11% had a B1 level and about 5% a B2 level. 31% of those seeking advice were consulted on the so-called state occupations (engineer, architect etc.), about 27% on occupations in the industrial and commercial sector and about 21% on the occupational fields of doctors. While 66% of those seeking advice, 80% of whom came to Germany in 2015, had experience in their proffessions in the country of origin, none of them could prove (at the time of the consultation) work experience in Germany.

Later, Makbule Çevik presented the planned implementation of IQ Consulting for 2017. The open access Consulting offer (without an appointment) will be extended from one day to two days at the Herford and Minden-Lübbecke Integration Points. In addition, Makbule Cevik drew attention to the multilingual materials and tools that have already been successfully used in multilingual IQ consulting. In the last part, three new products, which are currently being processed, were presented to the employees of the Integration Points and passed on for viewing. First, Makbule Çevik presented the "Portfolio for new immigrants / refugees". "This folder is intended for newcomers / refugees to collect various documents, which they receive in the context of their visits to a variety of contact points. The aim is, in particular, to use this folder as a working tool between the institutions" said Makbule Cevik. Afterwards, the dictionary for advisers in the area of professional recognition of newcomers / refugees was presented in detail. As the statistics show, it is still necessary to carry out IQ counseling for refugees in the native languages Arabic, Kurdish and Persian. For this purpose approx. 500 terms in the context of the Recognition Act and the IQ Consulting were translated into several languages. The primary aim is, above all, to provide counselors with a working instrument in the field of professional recognition for the refugees in order to faciltate communication in the recognition and qualification counseling service between themselves and those seeking advice in a foreign language who come to the consultation without a translator. The third product, the brochure "Herforder Wegweiser", an overview of all the relevant contact points in the context of vocational / academic recognition in Herford, was picked up and passed on to the attendees.

After clarifying all the relevant questions about the statistics, the planned implementation in 2017, the new materials and working tools, Makbule Çevik and Kani Karim said goodbye to those present.