PuMa – a pilot project based on a 100-point system
As "Russkaya Germaniya" notes, a necessary condition for such simplified access is that the profession of the job seeker in Germany must be on the "white list" (Positivliste) of the most in-demand professions of the Federal Employment Agency, which is updated every six months.
Today, Germany needs professionals – highly skilled workers (HSW) and technicians (T) – specializing in the following sectors: metalworking (HSW), welding (HSW), mechatronics (HSW, T), automation (HSW, T), electrical engineering (HSW, T), construction (T), plumbing (HSW, T), refrigeration technology (HSW, T), orthopedics, hearing aids, rehabilitation (HSW, T). In addition, the country needs IT specialists (T), railway workers (HSW, T), and junior medical staff (HSW, T).
It is worth noting that since October 2016, highly skilled workers and technicians of all other professions have also had the chance to work in Germany, but with the mandatory condition that the employer company must be located in the federal state of Baden-Württemberg. "Given the good economic situation in Baden-Württemberg (as in Bavaria), the unemployment rate is very low. Many companies need new employees," explains Beate Raabe from the press office of the Federal Employment Agency.
Baden-Württemberg has a well-developed industry. Not only giants like Daimler, Bosch, and IBM Deutschland are located here, but also many small and medium-sized enterprises in the automotive, mechanical engineering, metalworking, chemical, and pharmaceutical sectors, which are experiencing an acute shortage of personnel. That is why the pilot project PuMa (Punktebasiertes Modellprojekt für ausländische Fachkräfte), based on a 100-point system, is being tested here. The main goal of the project, as Beate Raabe explained, is to test how successfully the new model will work as a supplement to existing programs. The project is currently planned for three years.
Applicants can submit applications for participation in the PuMa project until September 30, 2019. Those who manage to secure employment during this period will have the opportunity to extend their work visa after the project ends. Representatives of all professions that are not subject to Blue Card requirements and are not included in the "white list" of the Federal Employment Agency are invited to participate.
The best chances of getting a job are for those considered most capable of integrating quickly in Germany. Candidates are evaluated on a 100-point scale. The main criterion is knowledge of the German language: proficiency at level B2 immediately gives 100 points. Level B1 gives 50 points, level A2 adds 25 points. Applications from candidates with a level below A2 are not accepted. Language skills can be confirmed with certificates from the Goethe-Institut, TestDaF, DSH, DSD, ÖSD, or a German high school diploma (Abitur). The language diploma must have been obtained no later than one year before the application.
Those with language skills below level B2 have the opportunity to make up the necessary points through other criteria. For example, knowledge of English or French at level B1 adds 25 points. Having relatives in Baden-Württemberg up to the second degree of kinship (parents, children, siblings, grandparents) guarantees 50 points. Previous work, study, or internship in Germany totaling at least 12 months (can be divided into a maximum of three periods) gives another 50 points. Experience living in an EU country (at least six months, divided into no more than two periods) adds 25 points to the total.
The basic condition: having a vocational education diploma after at least two years of study. It is important to note that in some specialties in Germany, vocational training takes place on the job, while in other countries it is taught at universities. It should be noted that access to the project is also open to applicants with higher education, but they will have to prove work experience.
You can check how your diploma is evaluated according to German standards on the website www.anerkennung-in-deutschland.de. The diploma must be confirmed by the relevant German authority, the address of which can be found on the same website.
For questions about employment in Germany and, in particular, participation in the PuMa project, please contact the Virtual Welcome Center by phone at +49 228 713−1313, by email at [email protected], or via the contact form (languages: German, English) of the PuMa project (regional-skilled-workers-initiative.de). Specialists from the Federal Employment Agency will help clarify the requirements for applicants, explain the procedure, and, if you score the necessary 100 points, support you in finding an employer.
According to Beate Raabe, in 2016 alone, 700 people from CIS countries called the Virtual Welcome Center to inquire about their chances in the German labor market. There has also been interest in the new PuMa program, but no applications have been submitted yet.