Investor`s choice Feb 14, 2018

International vocational qualifications – equality on the Bavarian employment market

Bavaria is a magnet for companies from all industries. And they are naturally looking for talented professionals. Even though Bavaria is superbly positioned in terms of human capital thanks to its variety of education, it’s not always possible to find the right staff locally.

Anyone recruiting professionals from abroad, is often confronted with a sheer unmanageable number of vocational qualifications. What are academic qualifications from abroad worth in Germany? Which qualifications can they be compared to and how are they recognised? We have compiled some information on this for you.

Recognising regulated vocational training


The most important thing for employees with a foreign qualification is whether their profession is categorised as a regulated or non-regulated occupation. Professional groups such as lawyers or doctors, who are not allowed to practice without state approval and recognition, are regulated. Other professions on the other hand are not subject to any formal recognition and applications do not need a compulsory assessment of their qualification. Employees can check with the European Commission which professions this is the case for.
Different authorities are responsible for recognising the regulated professions in Germany and Bavaria. You can find out which ones exactly using the Federal Ministry of Education and Research website, for example. This site also provides information about the specific processes for individual professional groups as well as the required documents when contacting the certification authority. Anyone interested can also directly contact the IQ-Netzwerk in Munich, Nuremberg and Augsburg, which offers support for the professional recognition process.

 

Evaluating qualifications

 

Anyone who wants to work in non-regulated professions, should definitely have their professional qualification evaluated by the German authorities. As employers can obtain information about the comparability and suitability of the applicant through them. Apart from this, evaluation may be a springboard for more education and further training. Under certain circumstances there is  financial support for certifications, translations and other expenses that the recognition process entails.

 

Potential for companies

 

It’s not just employees who are interested in making international qualifications comparable but increasingly the companies themselves, too. The potential can be tapped into more effectively when recruiting new staff and further developing internal resources. Companies can get support from different initiatives in the process, for example Unternehmen Berufsanerkennung, which provides a guide to promote professional recognition. The integration of foreign professionals into the German employment market is also pursued by the BQ-Portal, where companies can obtain detailed information about foreign vocational education systems and professional profiles, among other things. The information portal on foreign educational qualifications anabin also offers similar services.

 

Prerequisites for recognition

 

By the way, anyone who can show a foreign qualification and intends to be employed in Bavaria can apply for a equivalence assessment process. You can find out what foreign professionals also have to consider if they want to seek employment in Bavaria in this blog:https://www.invest-in-bavaria.com/blog/beitrag/tipps-zur-gelungenen-ansiedlung-auslaendische-fachkraefte-nach-bayern-holen.html