80% of Vietnamese students in Germany on vocational training

Updated: 10:54, 31/05/2024

About 4,000 people, mainly from Vietnam's central provinces, went to Germany to study vocational courses last year, accounting for 80% of the total number of Vietnamese students there.

There are nearly 7,400 Vietnamese students in Germany, an increase of about 30% compared to before Covid-19, said Steffen Kaupp, Deputy Director of the Vietnamese office of the Goethe-Institut, a non-profit German cultural association operational worldwide with 159 institutes.

An engineer works in the water filter company Mitte in Berlin, Germany, in 2020.

Kaupp told an event of the institute in Hanoi this week that Vietnamese people are very keen on vocational training, with nursing and hospitality being the most popular, accounting for nearly half, followed by engineering.

"Vocational colleges in Germany are trying to attract Vietnamese students because they are very diligent and perform well academically," he said." Most of the students come from Nghe An, Quang Binh, and Ha Tinh."

Felix Wagenfeld, Head of the German Academic Exchange Service office in Hanoi, the central point of contact for all questions relating to academic exchange between Germany and the countries of Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar, said Germany is increasingly attracting Vietnamese students for many reasons.

These include an open educational system, tuition-free policies, numerous courses offered in English, and dedicated support from schools in internships and job placement after graduation, he said.

Furthermore, since the beginning of March, the German government has relaxed several regulations for international students, amid a severe skilled labor shortage. The current work allowance for international students is now 140 days per year, an increase of 20 days from before.

For vocational training, the age limit for applications is now 35, whereas previously it was 25. The salary for recent graduates in many professions is currently about $2,500-3,800 per month, equivalent to the average in Germany.

The biggest barrier for Vietnamese students is the language.

"Even though the courses are in English, they still need German for daily communications. They are not weak at it, but it still requires time for them to adapt.

Some Vietnamese students graduate late for this reason," Wagenfeld said.

Kaupp of the Goethe-Institut also noted that some vocational schools require a German language certificate at the A2 level, but this level is not sufficient for students to integrate with daily life in Germany.

He advised students to prepare and take the certification test about 10-12 months before entering the country.

According to the German Academic Exchange Service report on international students, in the academic year of 2022-2023, there were more than 458,000 international students in Germany, an increase of 52% compared to 2014.

The average cost of living for international students there is about 930 euros per month ($1,000). After graduation, students have the option to stay and work for up to 18 months.