Trainees and vocational Entrants from Germany

In a time of proceeding global interconnectedness the acquisition of intercultural competences in the modern working environment becomes more and more important. Lots of information offers and grant programmes especially address themselves to students, trainees, vocational entrants and young professionals, interested in a stay abroad, a professional practical training abroad or just intending to strengthen or broaden their knowledge in foreign languages. On the following websites DKI provides a survey of the most important information facilities and grant programmes:

InWEnt (Internationale Weiterbildung und Entwicklung gGmbH / Capacity Building International, Germany) offers several exchange- and grant-programmes for German specialists and trainees for further educational training abroad. The following programmes are offered (websites in German):

programmes for trainees

programmes for students

programmes for graduates

programmes for employed persons

It's essential part is mostly practical work in foreign firms and institutions. Target regions are Europe, USA and the Asian/Pacific area (website in German):

Afrika

Asian/Pacific area

Europe

Latin America

North America

The annually appearing brochure "Weiterbildung ohne Grenzen" ("Continued vocational education without frontiers") includes about 170 programmes for continued vocational education offered by 70 organizations. The brochure can be ordered at the "Informations- und Beratungsstelle zur beruflichen Auslandsqualifizierung" (website in German).

There are different possibilities for graduates and young employed persons taking further vocational training, stepping in practical working experience or working for a longer term abroad:

a special programme for trainees concerning development work is the ASA-programme. It offers part-grants for three months stays in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Southeast Europe. Students of all fields and professionals without academic degree are invited to apply (website in English, French, and Spanish).

the programme Praxiserfahrung weltweit ('Practical Experience worldwide') addresses itself especially to students and bachelor graduates of economic sciences and applied technologies at German universities.

The Sequa GmbH, a non-profit development corporation of the most important German trade organisations (DIHK, ZDH, BDA and BDI) awards mobilty-grants to trainees, to post-graduates with a vocational certificate of a German Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK) as well as to post-graduated craftspeople, who are planning to do a professional practical training abroad. The Sequa GmbH Mobility-Programmes are funded within the framework of the European Union's sectoral programme in the field of vocational education, LEONARDO DA VINCI. The programmes' objective is to render trainees, vocational entrants and young professionals possible to gain working experience abroad thus getting to know different working environments and cultures and improve their foreign language skills.

The European Mobility Programme for Trainees "SINDBAD" enables trainees to get insights into the industrial and business environment of a selected European host country (including Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Turkey). The internships and company visits have a 3 to 12 weeks duration and will be organised in groups.

The European Mobility Programme for Trainees "TRANSDUAL" particularly addresses itself to trainees planning to spend a part of their practical and theoretical vocational training in Spain or the UK. Seminars, internships and company visits will be carried through in the Spanish respective the British capital with a 3 up to 24 weeks duration. The activities will be organised in groups.

The European Mobility Programme "ODYSSEUS" particularly addresses itself to post-graduates with a vocational certificate of a German Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK). Participants will get financial contributions during a 26 weeks practical training in a company or a vocational training school in an European host country. The amount paid depends on the host country.

The European Mobility Programme "SESAM" addresses itself to post-graduated craftspeople. Participants will get financial contributions during a 26 weeks practical training in a company or a vocational training school in an European host country. The amount paid depends on the host country.

The German-Japanese Exchange Programme for Young Employees seeks to give young employees and trainees aged between 18 and 30 years the opportunity to visit the other country.

The Exchange Program for Young German and French Journalists seeks to attract future generations of opinion-makers for Franco-German cooperation, particular in view of the challenges presented by Europe's increasing integration and growing indifference to European issues among the continent's citizens. The programme particularly addresses young journalists still passing their vocational training as well as entrants of the journalist's profession. Each ten young German and French journalists are offered the possibility to do a two to three-week journalistic practical training at a news' media editorial staff in their neighbour's country.

Internships abroad give young people the opportunity to get to know the working world as well as foreign mentalities, thus acquiring intercultural competence.

The most important jobsites:

The website "Wege ins Ausland" ('Ways abroad', in German) contains clear, easy-to-navigate basic information about the different opportunities for studying/training abroad. It is jointly issued by:

the "Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst" (DAAD) (German Academic Exchange Service),

 the registered association, "Internationaler Jugendaustausch- und Besucherdienst der Bundesrepublik Deutschland e.V." (IJAB), (International Youth Exchange and Visitor Service of the Federal Republic),

 the "Internationale Weiterbildung und Entwicklung GmbH" (InWEnt, International Further Education and Development Ltd.),

 the "Pädagogischer Austauschdienst der Kultusministerkonferenz" (PAD, Pedagogical Exchange Service of the Ministers’ of Culture Conference) and

the "Zentralstelle für Auslands- und Fachvermittlung" (ZAV, Central Placement Office) of the German Federal Employment Agency.

The website presents international programmes, projects for professional qualifications or jobs, internships, university courses and volunteer services. It contains as well a calendar of events listing the most important trade fairs and education platforms.

The Center for Information and Consulting on vocational qualification abroad (IBS) at InWEnt is a central German service center on behalf of the Federal Ministry for Education and Research. It informes and gives advice concerning all questions on further vocational training abroad - from choice of the apt programme via questions of financing to preparation for the educational/vocational placement. The database "Weiterbildung ohne Grenzen" (website in German) provides an overview on the different programmes for young specialized and management staff from Germany offered by German and international organizations.

www.inwent.org/ibs/mw/078023/index.php.de

Information for young people from abroad who want to come to Germany. With downloads of the folders in English and French or the possibility to get them sent.
www.rausvonzuhaus.de/cgi-bin/anbieter.asp

Foreign Trade Chambers offer placement of internships or work experience abroad (mostly for a fee, website in German).
www.ahk.de

The Deutsch-Französisches Jugendwerk (DFJW, Office franco-allemande pour la jeunesse) offers manyfold informationen about holiday jobs and internships (website in German or French).
www.dfjw.org/page.php

The placement bourse announces offering of placements worldwide (website in German):
praktikums-boerse.de

Both the organisations DEFTA ("Deutsch-französische Vereinigung für Teilnehmer an Arbeitsaufenthalten", German-French association for attendants of working stays) and AFASP ("Association franco-allemande pour les stagiaires professionnels") offer a German-French internship exchange site (in German and French).
www.afasp.net/willkommen.html

The Centre for Information and Consulting on vocational qualification abroad (IBS) (all websites in German) on the premises of InWent provides information about job-seeking abroad, job advertisments' markets, temporary stays abroad as an au pair and workcamps. The information supplied addresses itself especially to:

pupils

apprentices and students

post-graduates and young employed persons.

Persons interested in taking a vocational/qualifying placement or stay abroad who cannot find a suitable offer are welcome to directly contact the Centre for Information and Consulting for further information.

The CrossCulture-Programme of the Institute for Foreign Cultural Relations (ifa) addresses itself to young participants from the Islamic world and Germany. It provides young employees, vocational entrants and persons engaged in voluntary work for non-governmental organizations and institutions as well as for the media the opprtunity to develop their professional and international capacities.