The participation and success of immigrants in education requires our specific attention and - where necessary - our support. After all, education is of central importance for integration in our society. Children and youth from immigrant families are of special interest since they have come to account for more than a quarter of the population under the age of 25. In the urban centres of the old Länder, up to 40 per cent of young people are from immigrant families.
Improving educational opportunities, participation, and success,
particularly for children and youth with migration backgrounds, is one
of the central challenges facing our education system.
The Federal Government is determined to meet this challenge. This was expressed in the Desden joint declaration
Qualification Initiative for Germany
by the Federal Chancellor and Minister-Presidents of the Länder in
2008, and in the National Integration Plan (2007) as well as its first
progress report. Together with civil society stakeholders, the National
Integration Plan has been developed into the
National Action Plan on Integration, which was publicly introduced by the Chancellor at the fifth integration summit.
The Federal Government will increase its budget for education and
research to €12 billion by 2013. In the field of education, extra funds
will be targeted to areas that are crucial to educational success. The
BMBF will take new measures with particular significance for youth and
young adults with migration backgrounds, while maintaining and
developing those already established.
A large part of these supportive measures is not directed solely at
persons with migration backgrounds. All children and youth requiring
special support can take part. Those with migration backgrounds will
often particularly benefit since they generally account for a large
portion of the groups being targeted. A key aspect of the BMBF projects
and support programmes focuses on the area of vocational training.
Furthermore, improved opportunities in the recognition of vocational
training and occupational qualifications gained abroad are necessary not
only for the integration of immigrants, but also to meet the demand for
skilled labour. The corresponding "Assessment and Recognition of
Foreign Professional Qualifications Act" (the so-called "
Recognition Act") enters into effect on 1 April 2012.
Source: Federal Ministry of Education and Research