MiMSaxony – Make it in Mittelsachsen Graduation phase TU Bergakademie Freiberg Connecting students with companies Preparation for the labor market Cross-linking of existing offers and structures Transfer of key qualifications Core idea and objective The core idea of the project is the establishment of a regional network that seeks to connect international students and companies. The project activities are intended to support international students in successfully completing their studies and to increase career prospects in the region. Participating companies are offered the opportunity to develop personnel that meets the needs of a global economy and is able to mitigate demographic shortages in the long term. The aim of the developed measures is also to raise awareness of companies to identify, develop and secure international professionals for a future- oriented and innovative job market. Summary © Geocompany / Fugro “MiMSaxony” creates a network of science, business and administration for the integration of international students of the TU Bergakademie Freiberg and the University of Applied Sciences Mittweida in the Central Saxon labor market. On the one hand, the project seeks to aid in the successful completion of international students from both partner universities. On the other hand, it is supposed to make it easier for international students to start their careers in Central Saxony. Companies are supposed to be made aware of the potential of highly skilled international workers and receive support in their recruitment. This, in turn, is supposed to contribute to the economic stability of a region which, up until now, has only had 1.6% foreigners living in it. The region is characterized by a rather fragmented company structure (over 70% micro-enterprises, with 9 employees each). The following measures are planned or in progress: special technical German language courses for the transition to the job market sponsor program with regional industrial partners work-shops for intercultural competence with companies tour for international students at the career fair ORTE (more than 100 companies participate per year, taking place in Freiburg) including preparatory work-shops for international students practical field days with regional industrial partners (including company tours, short-term internships and application training) and a guide on authorities and administrations strategic networking with partners to develop regional transitional management for international students with regular network meetings assessments http://tu-freiberg.de/career-center/mimsaxony/ © Dorina Becker © Detlev Mueller © Dorina Becker Success and Risk Factors/Transferability On the one hand, success is dependent on the willingness to participate and the cooperation of the companies involved. On the other hand, the receptiveness of the regional labor market regarding international graduates is important as well. Unfortunately, there is a lack of informative figures and research studies. The will to stay and the linguistic competence of target group of international students are essential factors for success, as well as the prospects to be expected in the job market. The degree of commitment and reliability that is applied to the measures by international students influences how many students actually participate in the measures for career support. Project success is also influenced by geo-political and social developments. Risk factors in the network are the consistently changing contacts with the participating partners and the willingness to have exchange experiences within the network. Recognizing the potential for synergies on the part of the network members is of high significance to a successful network. The project generates a much deeper understanding of the peculiarities of a small economic structure regarding the employability of international graduates. During the course of the project, innovative ways of approaching companies are developed which can also be transferred to other regions. Financing/Resources ca. 120.000 € Promotion: „MiMSaxony – Make it in Central Saxony” is part of the “Study & Work” initiative and is funded by the commissioner for the new Federal States of the BMWi and the donors’ association for sciences in Germany. Human resources: One full time position Sustainability/Stabilization The establishment of the network serves the sustainable consolidation and continuation of the project. Contact Dr. Kristina Wopat Projektleiterin und Direktorin Graduierten- und Forschungsakademie TU Bergakademie Freiberg Prüferstraße 2 09599 Freiberg +49 (0) 3731 39-3026 [email protected] Antje Clausnitzer Projektkoordination Career Center TU Bergakademie Freiberg Prüferstraße 2 09599 Freiberg +49 (0) 3731 39-3347 [email protected] Bettina Tuschling Projektmitarbeiterin Auslandsamt Hochschule Mittweida Technikumplatz 1 09648 Mittweida +49 (0) 3727 58-1738 [email protected].