Skilled workers as the key to success

It is the same the world over: good training and promising job prospects lay the foundation for a successful future – for individuals and countries alike. This is why GIZ supports training systems in various partner countries, but also the migration of skilled workers to Germany.

Whether in manual trades, catering or the health sector, the skills shortage in Germany is omnipresent. To ensure that the state and society remain productive, both now and in the future, the country needs qualified staff from abroad. Labour markets elsewhere face different challenges. Some countries have a surplus of skilled workers, while in other regions the problem is inadequate vocational education and training.

People have better chances of finding decent employment and securing their livelihoods on a sustainable basis if they have a good level of training. This is why GIZ, together with partners from government, civil society and the private sector, strives to train skilled workers around the world and give them a way to improve their prospects in life. The focus here is always on the specific needs of the respective labour market and its wider society.

Below, we present two examples of our work: in Jordan, we support the development of practical training programmes to improve the country’s training system. And under the Triple Win programme, we support the migration of qualified staff to Germany. Both approaches pursue the same goal: creating added value for civil society, the state and the private sector.

Photo: A man wearing protective goggles repairs a bicycle chain in a workshop. Another man is holding a folder. Both are smiling. © GIZ / Sergiy Bezborodko — © GIZ / Sergiy Bezborodko

Triple Win: a model for success

Germany is suffering from an acute shortage of skilled workers, including in nursing. The Triple Win programme supports the migration of well-trained nurses to Germany.

Kerala – Bengaluru – Paris – Düsseldorf: 8,800 kilometres, three flights totalling 14 hours, a new life. Ayona Jose and Jyothy Pattath Shaiju took the plunge. They left their homes in the southern Indian state of Kerala to move to Germany. What made this possible was the Triple Win programme. It places nurses from a number of different countries in jobs in Germany. This reduces staff shortages in German hospitals, clinics and care homes for the elderly – while at the same time easing the pressure on the labour market in the nurses’ home countries. This is because the programme only tries to recruit skilled workers in places where there are more applicants than jobs. Bosnia and Herzegovina, Tunisia, Indonesia, Jordan and the Philippines are countries where this is the case. And the Indian state of Kerala is in the same category.

Triple Win

	Commissioned by	German hospitals and care facilities (the programme is implemented by GIZ International Services in cooperation with the German Federal Employment Agency’s International and Specialized Services)
	Location	Bosnia and Herzegovina, India (Kerala), Indonesia, Jordan, Philippines, Tunisia and Viet Nam (trainees)
	Term	since 2013

Photo: Two young women in dark blue scrubs standing in a hospital corridor next to a monitor. © GIZ, Photo: Tristan Vostry — Ayona Jose and Jyothy Pattath Shaiju at their new workplace at the Marien-Hospital in Wesel
© GIZ / Tristan Vostry

Photo: Zwei Ärztinnen schauen gemeinsam auf einen Computerbildschirm. — © Tim Wegner

Chippy Bose Shaila also came to Germany from Kerala with "Triple Win" and now works in a district clinic in Bavaria. You can read her story here:

Find out more

Social sustainability with Triple Win

Triple Win selects its partner countries in compliance with the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Global Code of Practice, and does not recruit any staff who are needed locally. The United Nations cites the programme as being a prime example of fair recruiting. Thanks to its great success, the scheme has already been expanded further. It provided the basis for developing models for trainees in the nursing sector, as well as for establishing the Global Skills Partnerships programme. GIZ is currently broadening Triple Win to include the hotel and catering industry and recruit chefs from Indonesia, and is also looking at opportunities to apply the scheme in other sectors.

Triple Win at a glance:

The nurses live and work in Germany under fair conditions, giving them an opportunity to improve their prospects.
Unemployment is reduced in their home countries, and family members can also benefit from financial support provided by the migrant nurses. When skilled workers return home, they can pass on their expertise to other people there.
German hospitals and care facilities can fill vacancies with qualified staff.

Well prepared for the move to Germany

The cornerstone of the Triple Win programme is a placement agreement between government agencies. On the German side, this is the German Federal Employment Agency’s International and Specialized Services (ZAV), which cooperates with an equivalent counterpart in the partner country. In the case of Ayona Jose and Jyothy Pattath Shaiju, this was the Indian employment agency NORKA Roots. That is where they applied to take part in Triple Win – and were selected.

One of the employers participating in Triple Win on the German side is the Marien-Hospital in Wesel. Ayona Jose and Jyothy Pattath Shaiju had a digital interview, where they were able to convince their future employer of their nursing and language skills.

Around 400

employers in Germany have cooperated with Triple Win over the past 10 years.

Around 6,200

trained nurses have been placed with German employers as part of the programme since 2013.

Photo: A nurse taking a patient’s blood pressure. © GIZ, Photo: Tristan Vostry — The skilled workers from other countries find out about the German health system before arriving in Germany.
© GIZ / Tristan Vostry

GIZ, together with other cooperation partners such as the Goethe-Institut in Kerala, started preparing the two young women for their new life in Germany early on before they signed their employment contracts. All participants in the Triple Win programme complete language courses in their home country, and also attend a nursing course to learn about the differences between the health system in their own country and in Germany as well as specialist terminology and career options. Once Ayona Jose and Jyothy Pattath Shaiju had passed their B1 language test, assembled their visa documentation and submitted the application to the German Embassy, they were able to start this new chapter in their life.

Partnerships as a factor for success

When the two women arrived in Düsseldorf on 26 September 2022, it was their first time in Germany. They were excited, curious and also a little anxious – mainly because of the language. Today they both speak German fluently, and feel very welcome. After a probationary year at the Marien-Hospital, their professional qualifications are now also officially recognised as meeting German requirements.

Their successful integration is the result of everyone involved working together in partnership. This is thanks not only to the excellent preparations in Kerala, but also to GIZ remaining in close touch with the nurses during their first year in Germany. After all, Triple Win does not stop when the nurses enter the country. Especially in the first few weeks, members of staff from the employer and GIZ support the participants in settling into their new lives, for instance when opening a bank account, looking for a place to live or taking care of administrative formalities.

Jyothy Pattath Shaiju now lives with her husband, who had already emigrated from India to Germany before her. And for Ayona Jose, too, her dream of coming to live and work in Europe has come true.

Photo: Two doctors looking at a computer monitor together. — © GIZ

Click here to read how Triple Win has also opened up new prospects for Lejla Tarić and Amila Balagić from Bosnia and Herzegovina:

Find out more

»The Triple Win programme stands as a milestone in the annals of professional migration between India and Germany. This collaboration has revolutionised the recruitment process, introducing a paradigm shift towards organisation, structure and transparency.«

Prakas P. Joseph, Recruitment Manager at NORKA Roots
© NORKA

»We value the reliable cooperation in the Triple Win programme, which has helped us find well-qualified and highly motivated staff. It is particularly important for us to recruit people under transparent and fair conditions that are sustainable for their home countries. This is exactly what GIZ and ZAV stand for.«

Klaus Hund, Nursing Management, Marien-Hospital gGmbH Wesel
© Klaus Hund

»Once the candidates have settled in Germany, they sometimes send us emails telling us how well they are doing. That is always very rewarding.«

Liju George, GIZ Triple Win Project Manager in Kerala, India
© private

Better prospects at home

Many vocational training courses in Jordan are very theory-based and do not provide adequate preparation for everyday working life. In cooperation with local partners, GIZ is striving to improve training opportunities for Jordanians.

In Jordan, the gap between supply and demand on the labour market is huge. Companies are unable to find enough qualified skilled workers, yet vocational training centres often tend to place more emphasis on theory rather than practice. Together with the Jordanian Ministry of Labour, universities, vocational training institutes and private sector companies, GIZ is working to establish dual training and study programmes – and in that way provide trainees with practical qualifications for professions in fields such as logistics, information technology and photovoltaics. A lasting improvement in the situation on the Jordanian labour market has already been achieved as a result.

Photo: A woman and a man wearing hi-vis jackets and hard hats stand in a warehouse. — © GIZ

MOVE-HET – Supporting Jordanian educational institutions in offering labour-market-oriented vocational training

	Commissioned by	German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)
	Cofinanced by	• Phase I: Kuwait Fund for the Advancement of Sciences (KFAS), Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands (DGIS) • Phase II: Global Affairs Canada (GAC)
	Location	Jordan
	Term	2017 to 2023 (Phase I), 2023 to 2026 (Phase II)

More than 6,000

trainees have already completed a vocational training course.

26

dual study programmes have been established at four universities, with 337 students.

Over 50

per cent of these have found employment and/or increased their income.

90

partner companies have taken part in the training programmes so far.

»Well prepared for everyday working life«

Safa’a Khlaifat participated in the practical training programme supported by GIZ at the Jordanian-German Centre of Excellence for Logistics in Aqaba.

Safa’a, what challenges did you face on the job market in Jordan?

The Jordanian job market is extremely competitive, especially for people with no professional experience. It was difficult for me to find a job that matched my interests and offered me opportunities to develop. As a woman, I face even more challenges on the job market. For example, our salaries are often so low that they don’t cover the cost of childcare.

So this training was a real opportunity for you?

Yes, thanks to the training programme I was able to overcome these obstacles. Now I know all about inventory management, transport logistics, software applications and supply chain management. I have since been given a permanent post as a logistics assistant at ASYAD, a forwarding company in Aqaba. One of my responsibilities is processing import and export documents. I am the link between ASYAD, the customs authorities and other parties involved in the forwarding process, and make sure that all communications are clear and on time.

How did you manage to secure the job?

By having a clear focus on practical skills. I didn’t just learn about theoretical concepts during the course, but was also able to apply my knowledge directly in simulations and case studies. Many of the situations that we practised are the same as those I experience every day in my job as a logistics assistant. The programme ensured I was well prepared for everyday working life.

In what way has your life changed with the new job?

The full-time post meant that I was able to increase my income. Besides that, the training boosted my self-confidence. That is why I would also like to encourage other Jordanian women to actively seek out training opportunities to develop their professional careers.

Skilled workers as the key to success