Keywords
Citation
(2000), "Call goes out for IT specialists", Journal of European Industrial Training, Vol. 24 No. 7. https://doi.org/10.1108/jeit.2000.00324GAB.006
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2000, MCB UP Limited
Call goes out for IT specialists
Call goes out for IT specialistsKeywords: Information technology, Germany, Skills shortages
To meet the national shortage of information technology specialists, the German Government is making it possible for up to 20,000 skilled personnel from outside the EU to take up jobs in Germany. When 10,000 work permits have been issued, the situation will be reassessed.
Federal Chancellor, Gerhard Schröder launched the programme on 13 March this year. Regulations on residence and work permits are being revised to enable foreigners to come to Germany for up to three years; for top-level specialists, the limit may be extended to five years. Meanwhile, visa requirements are already being eased.
Those taken on will have (by law) the same pay and conditions as native Germans. They will be accepted only provided the places they take cannot otherwise be filled. They must have university or polytechnic degrees in IT-related fields. Placing people is a Federal Employment Office task and is being made as unbureaucratic as possible.
It continues to be the Government's priority to satisfy personnel needs domestically. In July 1999, the "Alliance for Jobs Training and Competitiveness" launched an offensive to reduce the shortage of qualified IT people with the help of vocational training and educational institutions. The target was set to provide an additional 25,000 specialists by 2002. Many training measures have been initiated, but these need time to take effect.