Positive conclusion after three years of the "HiTh" specialist project

JenaWirtschaft and FSU Jena summarize "Highly qualified. International. Thuringia"

After three years, the Jena Economic Development Corporation and Friedrich Schiller University Jena have drawn a positive conclusion from the joint transdisciplinary project "HiTh - Highly Qualified. International. Thuringia". The starting point was the forecast that the population of Thuringia will decline sharply over the next few decades - by 26 percent by 2035 according to current calculations. This will result in a shortage of important workers in many companies. The Chairs of Finance and Economic Geography and the International Office at Friedrich Schiller University Jena, together with the Jena Economic Development Agency, investigated whether and how international students and skilled workers from abroad can help to close this gap in Thuringia. The focus was on the framework conditions that international students and skilled workers need locally in order to remain in Thuringia in the long term.

"Specifically, our common goal was to attract international students and graduates to Jena and Thuringia as a business location and to sensitize companies to the potential of international skilled workers," says JenaWirtschaft Managing Director Wilfried Röpke. It is also important to retain the international skilled workers already living in the Free State in the long term by offering them good opportunities.

Attracting international students to the Thuringian job market after graduation

Prof. Silke Übelmesser, holder of the Chair of Finance at FSU Jena, conducted research in particular on international students, i.e. potential future international employees. These represent "an interesting exogenous potential in view of the demographic development - keyword: shortage of skilled workers," says Übelmesser. "They are relatively well integrated after graduation and know the location well. The challenge lies in being able to attract some of them to the Thuringian labor market after graduation. According to the studies, good job prospects, personal circumstances and the feeling of being welcome here are important for this."

This feeling of welcome cannot be taken for granted, but it is a fundamental condition for someone to stay. Prof. Sebastian Henn, holder of the Chair of Economic Geography, knows the challenges: "We have to make both companies and the general public understand that immigration is crucial to maintaining the competitiveness of Thuringian companies in the long term." It is important to break down fears and prejudices among the population and company workforces. "By communicating examples of best practice, we can convey the decisive advantages of nationally mixed teams," says Henn.

Intercultural company award honors exemplary integration

In order to consolidate this communication, JenaWirtschaft and the FSU Jena initiated the "i-work Business Award: Intercultural Business Award for Jena and the region" competition. This competition took place for the third time in 2019 and will continue after the HiTh project ends. "In Jena and the region, many companies are taking exemplary measures to attract and integrate employees with foreign roots," says Röpke. The aim is to continue to recognize these companies for their exemplary commitment. In addition, the "International Skilled Workers Steering Group" founded by JenaWirtschaft three years ago will be continued. "We definitely want to continue the exchange on the topic of international skilled workers with HR managers from regional companies and institutions," said Röpke. The group will be anchored in the "Jena Alliance for Skilled Workers" network, which is managed by JenaWirtschaft.

The companies themselves have also found a competent contact for matchmaking with international students at the FSU Jena. According to the project specifications, 30 international students were to be placed in internships or as working students in the Thuringian economy as part of the HiTh project. This figure was exceeded well before the end of the project. However, Dr. Claudia Hillinger, Head of the International Office at FSU Jena, is aware of the challenges involved in finding an internship or job: "In our survey of international students, 65% stated that external factors were the main difficulty in finding an internship. These include the fact that many Thuringian companies are not so well known internationally." Successful placement should therefore continue: Based on the results of the HiTh project, follow-up topics will continue to be funded by the European Social Fund and the European Union at the University of Jena's Career & Welcome Point, which was founded in 2018.

Background information

About HiTh - Highly qualified. International. Thuringia.

The transdisciplinary HiTh project investigated the extent to which international students and skilled workers from abroad can counteract the massive decline in skilled labor potential in Thuringia. Specifically, it aims to attract international students to Thuringia as a business location by facilitating their transition into the local and regional labour market and to sensitize companies to the potential to retain international skilled workers in Thuringia in the long term. The project was carried out jointly by the Chair of Finance, the Chair of Economic Geography and the International Office of Friedrich Schiller University Jena as well as the Jena Business Development Corporation. HiTh was supported by the Free State of Thuringia with funds from the European Social Fund (ESF). The project ran for three years (June 2016 to May 2019).

To the project website of the Friedrich Schiller University Jena

In detail, the HiTh. project comprised

• the implementation and evaluation of measures to improve Thuringian companies' ability to attract and retain international students and skilled workers,
• the generation of a comprehensive database through surveys of international students, skilled workers and Thuringian universities and companies,
• deriving recommendations for action for the Thuringian economy, politics and universities and
• a comprehensive transfer of the results to those involved and the general public.