Bavaria Needs You

For people with refugee experience who seek and find protection from war, persecution and violence, arriving in the most expensive Bavarian capital is initially characterized by a variety of social challenges and needs for action. At the same time, they bring with them their qualifications, professional experience and foreign language skills that show valuable potential for securing the demand for skilled workers in Bavaria. In addition, we have already known through our non-profit working that people with refugee experience have a strong motivation and an independent interest in taking up socially fair employment and want to play an active role in the host society, because working and social integration are mutually dependent.

The focus of our ESF+ funded project „Bavaria Needs You – Ways to Inclusion as Future Chances for Bavaria“ is on 20 highly educated employable women and men from different age groups who have fled to Bavaria from Ukraine, Afghanistan and Iran, live in the state’s capital or in the district of Munich, have a secure legal residence status for no longer than four years, have successfully completed the integration course of the BAMF, are currently at the Jobcenter in receipt of citizen’s allowance and are available to work on the labor market.

Our project combines the following three components:

• Activation – by taking stock of the current social situation of each participant, providing them impetus and motivation to enter successfully into Bavarian primary labour market
• Socio-pedagogical support measures – we create an individual support plan for every participant with special supporting elements for the women in our group in order to take their gender-specific needs into account and to empower them; this individual support plan forms the basis for the qualification, but also for our ongoing socio-pedagogical work according to the peer-to-peer professional approach aimed in the gradual, sustainable and successful achievement of the goals together; the development steps of each participant during the project have been documented
• Vocational qualification – by imparting key vocational qualifications or strengthening personal and social skills
• two modules – information management and information processing of office processes – from the recognised job profile of „office manager“ in accordance with the requirements of the German Vocational Training Preparation Certificate Ordinance.

Application coaching and four-week work experience (internship) in a Bavarian business or in a non-profit social enterprise are another two important components of our project.

We provide participants with low-threshold information about the labour market, the rights and obligations of an employee, our free democratic basic order, equal rights for men and women, sustainability and digital administration.

Therefore, the career opportunities of our 20 highly educated unemployed adult women and men with refugee experience will be increased significantly; the adapting their qualification acquired abroad to the current needs, requirements and expectations of Bavarian employers will make possible for them enjoying a just and sustainable legal employment in the same profession that they already learned/practiced outside Bavaria.