Refugees could solve the shortage of skilled workers here, says Barbara Högy, who works as a volunteer in the refugee system in Giessen.
Giessen - Some pictures stick because they are true to life, because everyone knows someone who has talked about it or experienced it themselves.
The Gießen social democrat Gerhard Merz drew such a picture at the most recent meeting of the school committee: he praised the fact that the city wants to establish family centers at primary schools in order to reduce coincidences in the question of educational equity.
Because it is currently still too often down to one teacher or one neighbor who enables a young person from an immigrant family to achieve educational success.
This is how giessener-allgemeine.de reports that it is decided whether a girl will become a “cleaning lady or a lawyer”.
But it's not just teachers and neighbors who can promote an educational career;
they can also complicate them.
This is what Dr.
Barbara Högy experienced.
The Giessen native has been taking care of refugees as a volunteer since 2014 - "including many fairly well qualified ones," she says.
These people regularly tell her about situations in which the "acting and demotivating people" are people whose job it should actually be to support the people concerned.
Refugees in Gießen: misunderstandings in the job center
For example, Högy has to think of an academic who had worked in a qualified job in her country.
Högy says she finished her language course at B1 level.
When she applied for a B2 course from her contact at the job center, she was told »that there were already enough unemployed graduates in her field here, and she was advised to work as a cleaner«.
Only after the intervention of a German helper was she able to attend the advanced German course.
"It was then explained to the German helper that this woman allegedly said at the appointment at the job center that she didn't want to attend any further language courses and that it was a misunderstanding," says Högy.
»Interesting, because I often talk to this woman and normally in everyday contact with her such misunderstandings never occur.«
Gießen: Refugees could only attend a German course after a year and a half
Another case concerns a graduate industrial engineer in the field of logistics, whose bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in Germany have been recognized by the respective authorities.
He has been in Germany for two and a half years, but because of the corona pandemic he was only able to attend an official German course after a year and a half.
However, he used this time and, with the help of several German helpers, brought his knowledge of German to B1 level on his own.
At the same time, he started working in Germany after just nine months - at that time in two jobs, one of them as a cleaner.
"He was and is of the opinion that you should do something and not just sit around doing nothing," says Högy.
After completing his B2 course, the man then wanted to get another qualification in German, i.e. attend a C1 course.
»It only really worked out when a German helper came to a job center appointment.
Here, too, there were allegedly misunderstandings about the man's career and qualification requirements," says Högy.
"But it's funny that this man can communicate well in all other situations in life and that there are hardly any ambiguities."
Job center: Working as a project manager is unrealistic for foreigners
Because he initially waited a few months for a more advanced German course, he was sent to a so-called measure by the job center.
There he was suggested several jobs that were somehow in his area of logistics, but far below his actual qualifications.
"Most would have gone through temporary employment agencies and the minimum wage beckoned as payment," says Högy.
"That's significantly less per hour than he currently earns in his job as a cleaner, in which he incidentally continued to work part-time alongside his respective German courses."
When he said he would see himself more in the project manager field, or at least a little further up the hierarchy - like back then in his country - he was told to accept that that was unrealistic for foreigners and also his doctorate would actually mean nothing here in Germany.
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The integration of refugees into the labor market is made more difficult, says volunteer Barbara Högy - also from places that are supposed to help (symbol image).
© DPA German Press Agency
Refugees in Gießen: Doctorate has no meaning
He was also told that there were many Russian professors in Germany who worked as janitors.
Högy continues: “He was then asked if he thought he was any better than these professors.
That came from the mouth of a person who works in a measure paid for by the job center, which is actually supposed to promote the qualifications and motivation of the migrants.« Högy emphasizes that such situations are »endlessly discouraging« for those affected.
"Above all, I don't understand how this way of acting fits in with the alleged shortage of workers everywhere."
These are examples - two of many, emphasizes the volunteer.
A recurring motive is the "alleged misunderstanding in offices and official bodies, which can only be cleared up when German helpers intervene".
Only: "Not every migrant succeeds in finding support that will fight for him or her." (Kays Al-Khanak)
While there are still problems with the integration of many refugees on the labor market, the number of Ukrainians who have temporarily found accommodation in the initial reception center in Gießen has risen sharply.
In this acute emergency situation, not everything runs smoothly.
List of rubrics: © DPA Deutsche Presseagentur
