University of Siegen involved in regional project for international specialists

For the first time, numerous partners from South Westphalia are joining forces to recruit and integrate international skilled workers for the region. The "Employer Forge South Westphalia PLUS - Global Connect" project aims to create the necessary structures, test digital approaches and share knowledge in the region. Arnsberg District President Heinrich Böckelühr has now handed over the funding decisions - meaning that the University of Siegen has also officially been given the green light to participate. A total of 3.78 million euros will flow into the regional collaboration, which will start at the beginning of 2026.

The project is intended to help pool existing knowledge, strengthen regional networks and support companies - especially small and medium-sized enterprises - in recruiting and integrating international workers. In addition to the Chair of Business Administration, in particular Marketing and Trade at the University of Siegen, headed by Prof. Dr. Hanna Schramm-Klein, other universities, business development agencies and the Südwestfalen Agentur are also involved.

The University of Siegen is taking on a central analytical task as part of the project: a research team is preparing regional reports on the situation of foreign skilled workers in South Westphalia. To this end, current data and statistics will be evaluated, interviews will be conducted with relevant regional stakeholders and quantitative company surveys will be carried out. The findings will help to identify needs and develop suitable measures for the region.

The joint project is supported by the "Regio.NRW - Transformation" funding call with funds from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the state of North Rhine-Westphalia.