'We want more Indians': German envoy welcomes homegrown skilled talents

Lauding the India-Germany ties, German Ambassador to India, Dr Philipp Ackermann, said that Berlin is looking for more professionals to come from India. In a brief conversation with Firstpost, the German envoy also elucidated the challenges both countries face in ensuring smooth workers’ mobility.

The conversation took place on the sidelines of the launch of the Global Access to Talent from India (GATI) Foundation in New Delhi. It is a non-profit Foundation dedicated to building structured, ethical, and circular pathways for global talent mobility.

External Affairs Minister Dr S. Jaishankar was the chief guest at the GATI Foundation’s launch event. The event was also attended by Shri. Jayant Chaudhary, Hon’ble Minister of State (Independent Charge), Skill Development and Entrepreneurship and Minister of State for Education, attended as the Guest of Honour. The foundation is incubated by the Convergence Foundation, Manish Sabharwal, and the Godrej Foundation.

Here’s what the German Ambassador has to say about the Indian talent and how it can felicitate the global markets.

Edited excerpts:

Q1. What are your takeaways from today’s event, and what are your hopes for the GATI Foundation? 

Amb Ackermann: I think this Gati Foundation is a very interesting move. I think it’s extremely timely, and I think we will work together with Gati in the months and years to come because once it is in full swing, it might be a very important institution that can deliver on mainstreaming migration from India to Europe and Germany in particular.

There will be more Indians coming to Germany because Germany wants more Indians to come. Germany has turned out to be an interesting destination for many Indians and we have to see to it that the right people come, the ones who are prepared for work in Germany, the ones who learn the language, the oEdited excerpts:nes who are ready to live in difficult circumstances and I think every institution that deals with this difficult matter is welcome. So I am very much looking forward. I am very confident that this foundation will contribute a bit.

Q2 We did a reportage on the challenges Indian students and professionals are facing in France. They expressed issues like a language barrier, problems with the employment contracts they were getting and how some companies are hesitant in sponsoring their visas. So what makes Germany different in that regard? 

Amb Ackermann: I am not aware of the French situation, but it is clear that migration always comes with problems. There are a lot of opportunities, but it also comes with problems. Language barrier is one of the problems.

German is not so far from English, but it is a difficult language to learn. And when you are in certain professions, not in all, IT engineers don’t need German, but caregivers, nurses, apprentices, and bus drivers need to have some basic knowledge of German, and that has to be acquired, these language skills, before people go. Or at least it has to be perfect during their stay in Germany.

That is a big challenge, and we need to cope with this challenge. So we have to increase the number of German teachers in India. We have to increase the number of German exams in India. Sponsoring visas with Germany is not such a problem. We have a very liberal visa policy.

But of course, you have to qualify for this visa, and these qualifications will be checked. So I think that you should not underestimate the challenges migration is delivering. But at the same time, I think the experience we have with the overwhelming majority of the Indian diaspora in Germany is that you can cope with these challenges; it is doable. And if you are prepared, the better you are prepared, the better it is for your future.

Q3. What is the German government doing in collaboration with the Indian government in this regard to ensure the mobility of workers?

Amb Ackermann: So we have programmes here, programmes setting up for certain professions like nurses, caregivers. We have agencies with whom we work on apprenticeships. And this is a bit surveyed from us, but also from the Indian government, so that we see that these people who come to Germany are well prepared.

And how do we get to a level where we have more people but with the same qualification and the same degree of preparation of the community? That’s our big challenge