Price for teachersPLUS

Different approaches, one goal: to develop and implement solutions for the structural challenges of integrating international skilled workers and professionals. 50 projects are doing excellent work. They came out on top in the "Growing together: Good ideas for integration in the labor market 2025" competition. Among them is the "LehrkräftePLUS" qualification program, which is offered at the Center for Teacher Training and Educational Research at the University of Siegen and at the Bielefeld, Bochum, Duisburg-Essen and Cologne locations. As part of a one-year further qualification, immigrant teachers - especially refugees - can expand their knowledge and skills in theory and practice with a view to working in schools in Germany. Successful completion of the program enables graduates to participate in the "Internationale Lehrkräfte Fördern (ILF)" program of the district governments. This is linked to a career as a teacher and opens up prospects for permanent employment at schools in NRW.

The high-caliber jury from science, business and civil society selected LehrkräftePLUS as one of the winning projects on the topic of integration in the labour market. The competition is sponsored by "Germany - Land of Ideas", the Bertelsmann Foundation, the Federation of German Industries and the Mercator Foundation. Prizes are awarded to companies, public administrations, educational institutions and civil society initiatives that are taking innovative approaches to integration in the labor market in Germany. The award-winning best-practice examples reflect the thematic diversity and the breadth of the player landscape in Germany.

One participant in the LehrkräftePLUS program at the University of Siegen is Inna Kotliar from Ukraine. You can read her story in the current issue of the university newspaper Querschnitt: Querschnitt | University of Siegen