The Kick-off meeting of the project ”Refugees Welcome” took in March 2019, 11-14 in Porto, Portugal. The meeting was attended by two participants from each partner organization.

Participants discussed project details, budget and discovered more details about all partner organizations. Each partner organization presented the situation of refugees in their country.

The conculsion of the German report regarding the Educational background and employability in Germany were presented. In order to welcome refugees into the education system, Germany has hired over 8,500 new teachers, some specifically to teach German as a Second Language courses. The federal government has also increased funding to all state education systems. In order to provide appropriate services for these children, schools must also hire translators, psychologists, and social workers at the school and state levels.

Adult refugees, 58% had spent 10 years or more at school, in vocational training and at university before arriving in Germany, the survey found, compared with 88% of Germans. Just under a third had attended university or a vocational school, while 1 in 10 went only to primary school and 9% never went to school.

Almost three-quarters of refugees aged 18-65 said they had gained work experience before arriving in Germany, with 13% having been employees in managerial positions.

Around 90% of refugees could not speak German when they arrived, a major stumbling block for many employers.

When refugees started arriving in Germany in large numbers last summer, many politicians and economists feted them as a solution to a skilled labour shortage, but a survey published on Tuesday shows that only around 1 in 8 has found jobs so far.

Among those who are not in work and arrived in Germany since January 2013, more than three-quarters said they “certainly” wanted a job and 15% said they “probably” wanted one.