Zwickau (dpa/sn) - With scholarships and easier access to studies, Saxony wants to attract more international students and later keep them as specialists in the Free State. The Ministry of Science announced on Wednesday at a specialist conference in Zwickau that Saxony as a place to study must be made better known in selected target countries with targeted marketing measures, the study success rate among international students must be increased and the networks between universities, students and companies expanded. Around 50 experts from science, business and administration exchanged ideas.
Securing skilled workers is one of the most important political tasks of the coming years, because this will determine the further development of the Free State, said Minister of Science Sebastian Gemkow. "For this it is necessary that the later integration of international students into the domestic labor market is considered from the outset and that individual measures are geared towards this," emphasized the CDU politician.
More low-threshold and digital options are needed for those from abroad who want to study, so that they can start studying at a Saxon university, said the chairman of the state rectors' conference, Prof. Klaus-Dieter Barbknecht. "In global location competition, we need a paradigm shift in how we look at things."
According to the ministry, the number of people of working age is projected to fall by up to 150,000 this decade. This will have a dramatic effect on the economic, social, cultural and scientific development of the Free State, it said. In mid-2021, the proportion of foreign employees subject to social security contributions in Saxony was around 6.5 percent.
Around 18,000 international students are currently studying at Saxon universities. According to the Ministry of Science, however, many leave Bavaria after their studies.
