International career fair in Dortmund: take advantage of opportunities for students!

International career fair in Dortmund: take advantage of opportunities for students!

The Technical University of Dortmund is increasingly supporting international students in entering the German job market. A new program that received 230 registrations within the first 48 hours of its launch shows the great interest in career prospects in Germany. Daniel Zimpel, the coordinator responsible for the program, emphasizes that this demand underlines the desire for the prospect of staying. A significant number of registered students come from India, while students from Pakistan, Bangladesh and other countries have also registered. The number of clicks was particularly high in the first topic block on language skills and visa issues, which illustrates the importance of these topics for the participants.

The proportion of international students at TU Dortmund has grown continuously in recent years. In the 2024/25 winter semester, there were a total of 5,800 international students enrolled, which corresponds to 19.5 percent of the entire student body. In order to make it easier for these students to get started, attractive framework conditions have been created through, among other things, English-language master's degree programs. The aim is to counteract the shortage of skilled workers and demographic change in Germany, as the need for well-trained skilled workers is increasing rapidly in many industries.

International career fair and mentoring

The International Career Fair, which took place on October 28th in the International Meeting Center (IBZ), offers another important step towards professional integration. This trade fair is designed to bring international students together with companies in Dortmund and the region. A total of 90 students from 23 countries took part. The event was organized by the International Department of the TU Dortmund, the Dortmund IHK and the Society of Friends of the TU Dortmund.

The participating companies included well-known employers such as Bayer, DEW21 and Zalando. Before the trade fair, 17 companies had access to the students' profiles and were able to select specific contacts for one-on-one discussions. Students such as Zahra Bonakdar and Ashutosh Bhagwat had the opportunity to speak with representatives from Bayer; The latter is interested in an internship and the possibility of writing his master's thesis there. The positive response from students to the fair underlines the success of this initiative.

Challenges and opportunities in the German labor market

The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) has emphasized the need to attract more international students as skilled workers to the German job market. A recently published position paper contains recommendations to close the growing skills gap. Every year, around 75,000 international students start studying in Germany, around half of whom are enrolled in MINT subjects. After ten years, around a third of these graduates are already living and working in Germany.

The DAAD is calling, among other things, for an increase in the number of international first-year students through improved marketing and easier entry conditions. Furthermore, support offers and financial resources for universities should be expanded. A holistic approach to promoting the integration of international students into the labor market is seen as essential in order to make the best possible use of their qualifications and enable a successful career in Germany.

Through these measures and programs, such as the “Tandem2Job” mentoring program, the TU Dortmund actively pursues the goal of supporting international students on their way into the German working world. The need for international skilled workers continues to grow, and the university plays a crucial role in this development by providing the necessary resources and building bridges to potential employers.