Educational Structure of Refugees

Abstract

Since 2015, the Federal Republic of Germany has accepted more than one million refugees. In many cases, the refugee crisis in Germany is seen as an opportunity to compensate for the need for skilled labour. By 2030 there will be a shortage of around 3 million skilled workers. Therefore, this article focuses on the educational structure of refugees in the years 2015-2017. A survey of a total of 687 refugees and a comparative analysis using data from the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) revealed that about 70% of asylum seekers are of working age. 14% of the refugees have no formal education. More than 50% have attended primary and secondary school. Furthermore, 75% have not undergone any training. Therefore, integrative measures and offers of further education are absolutely necessary. The quality and implementation of these measures are primarily decisive for the success of the integration of refugees into the German labour market.