Jerin Jacob (36) from Kerala is flying to Germany later this week to work at a hospital in Heidelberg. A nurse with 10 years experience, including seven years in west Asia, she learnt German at Goethe Zentrum Coimbatore for a little more than a year and the Goethe centre here facilitated her job placement at the German hospital.
The new Skilled Workers Immigration Act of Germany has made it easier for people from other countries to take up jobs and settle down in that country. Learning the German language can open up opportunities for skilled Indian workers, said Akila Shanmugham, director of Goethe Zentrum Coimbatore.
The Goethe Zentrum Coimbatore entered into a tie up with Kliniken Schmieder last November and plans to place 10 nurses this year with the hospital. Jerin Jacob is the first candidate. The work conditions are better and salary is high in Germany, she says.
The Gedee Technical Training Institute here has partnered with BSW, a German-government affiliated vocational training institute that enrols students for further training and arranges for placement in Saxony.
There is a huge shortage of skilled workforce in Germany specifically in sectors such as healthcare and engineering. It had 1.98 million job vacancies in 2022. Qualified candidates who complete the required level of German language course and have specified years of work experience can apply for jobs, she said.
“Germany has a list of bottleneck professions that are in need of skilled workers. Details are available on the Make it in Germany website (https://www.make-it-in-germany.com/en),” she said. It has a ‘triple win’ agreement with the Kerala government for nurses and plans a tie up with another Indian State for IT professionals. “The Goethe centre in Coimbatore is looking at agreements with agencies in Germany to facilitate placement of German language learning skilled workers,” she added.
Sivan Unni, head of language department at the Goethe Zentrum Coimbatore, said about 650 students are studying German at the Centre and the plan is to increase it to 800 this year. It also plans to train teachers in German language so that they can train school students.
