Bridges into the Labor Market

Reflections on the Development of Needs-Oriented German Courses at Higher Education Institutions

Abstract

International students graduating from German universities could help to reduce the labor shortage in Germany. However, their career start can only be successful, if international graduates from German- and English-taught programmes are able to use language effectively. What are the needs of international graduates in terms of their career entry? What are the needs of regional companies? Should language centers also address pro-fessional communication skills in German? Facing a broad range of tasks and limited resources, how can they best fulfill students’ and labor markets' needs? What kind of German language courses can support students in their specialization and facilitate their entry into the (regional) labour market? The article shares preliminary conclusions from various needs assessments being conducted within the project Profis D - Fach.Deutsch.Digital für Studium und Beruf and considerations about the design of job-related language support for academics.