In the north German town of Rendsburg, a number of young asylum seekers are being given an unusual kind of opportunity. In just over a month, they will have the chance to sit down with someone who could change their life in just 15 minutes.
A bakery in eastern Germany is helping the integration of a Syrian refugee. Through an apprenticeship program, Mohamad Hamza Alemam is forging a future as a baker. And growing new roots in his host country.
Nearly 30,000 young refugees have taken up apprenticeships in Germany in recent years. Syrian refugee Mahmoud Al Homsi is one of them, and he has got to know what makes Germany tick.
Austria has allowed young refugees to take on apprenticeships while waiting for their asylum applications to be processed since 2012. However, the new right-wing government says this is to end. At the same time there'll be cuts to other migrant integration initiatives — such as language courses.
Austria is set to bar asylum-seekers from taking up vacant training spaces while their claims are still being assessed. It marks the latest in a spate of restrictions placed on migrants by the right-wing government.
German Cabinet members have agreed to the main points of a new skilled immigration law, according to media reports. But leading politicians disagree on offering job prospects to well-integrated immigrants denied asylum.
Asylum seekers have helped ease the burden for German companies' search for new apprentices. But taking on asylum seekers in apprenticeships remains difficult due to bureaucratic hurdles, and employer groups are calling for more support.
Ali came to Germany at the age of 17. Without his parents. How is he doing now, two years later? In our new video series, we meet refugees living in Berlin.
Suleiman Ali is a Somali refugee who fled violence and traveled to Italy where he now works as a Big Data junior expert.
How can refugees get informed about vocational training in Germany? What options are there and how does the application process work? Four Syrian refugees set up an informational platform for other refugees to help them get oriented.