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A delegation with representatives of the Swedish Council for Higher Education visited the BQ-Portal on 1 February in order to get acquainted with the professional recognition in Germany. Since 2017 it is possible in Sweden to have your foreign professional credentials recognized. In Germany this legal right was introduced already in 2012. The Swedish Council for Higher Education is responsible for carrying out recognition procedures in Sweden and already uses the information available in the BQ-Portal in daily work. At the meeting, the Swedish guests learned how to find the information in the BQ-Portal, and found out, how the BQ-Team carries out research on foreign VET systems and professional profiles.

Three skilled workers originating from Bulgaria, the United Kingdom, and Poland are working at Horst Busch Elektro-Technik GmbH in Hamburg. The company specifically recruits skilled workers who have obtained their professional qualifications abroad. Contrary to all fears surrounding the assessment of skills or possible cultural misunderstandings, the company has had very good experiences with this recruitment strategy. Horst Busch Elektro-Technik GmbH does not only facilitate the professional recognition of employees who hold foreign qualifications – it also covers the associated costs of the recognition process. This Hamburg-based electrical company is feeling confident: given the shortage of qualified personnel in this field, this investment will pay off in no time.

During a two-day workshop “Migration and Skills: Successful Labour Market Integration through Professional Recognition Systems”, the organisations involved in labour market integration of migrants from six different European countries gained valuable insights into the BQ-Portal project, a European Public Sector Award (EPSA) winner of 2015.