On the mountain. (usc) Learning German at a higher level represents a high but surmountable hurdle for immigrants. This was evident in the “Job-related German language module B2” course at the ISE language and vocational training center. Despite the short training period, at least 14 people were able to achieve the desired qualification.
Most of the participants already had good knowledge beforehand, but this was not sufficient for professional advancement. Some had already worked before but wanted to improve their career prospects or start training with improved language skills.
The participants were between 20 and 30 years old and spent three months working on vocabulary and practicing grammar with German teacher Alessandro Musetti. Coming from home countries such as Syria, Iraq, Iran, Romania, Hungary, USA, Kazakhstan, Spain, Georgia and Ethiopia, some of them had already had very good jobs there, such as doctors, nurses, office clerks or engineers, according to ISE managing director Peter Blendowski . According to Blendowski, some of the course graduates are aiming for a university degree and some for vocational training.
However, according to Blendowski, anyone who wants to study at a technical college or university will have to go to school at the ISE for another three months starting in October. The next higher language level, C1, is a prerequisite for this. As proof of having passed the B2 course, graduates receive a certificate from TELC Frankfurt, a recognized testing center for all integration courses and language levels.
At the end of the course, Peter Blendowski stated that the goal was really difficult to achieve, actually only with the appropriate intelligence and great hard work. “These people who achieve the set goal are an enrichment for our society,” explained Blendowski on the occasion of a visit by the head of the job center, Sonja Schleicher, and the team leader of the employment agency, Rainer Liermann. The visitors were interested in this training because the majority of the participants were job center customers.
The employment agency and the job center can issue a certificate of eligibility if there is a need for qualification. The course is financed by the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees in Nuremberg. In the current case, participants also had to pay their own contribution to take part in the course.
For the report: Hubert Uschald