ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Educ.
Sec. Language, Culture and Diversity
This article is part of the Research TopicSustainable migration: Educational and socio-economic challengesView all 4 articles
Sustainable Labour Migration Through Vocational Education and Training Providers? Conditions of Access and Accessibility in the Public-Private (Continuing) VET Sector
Provisionally accepted
- Institut Technik und Bildung (ITB), Universität Bremen, Bremen, Germany
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Context: Due to the shortage of skilled workers, Germany is already recruiting skilled workers from abroad, especially from countries outside the EU. The Skilled Labour Immigration Act (FEG), introduced in 2020 and amended in 2023, regulates the migration of skilled workers. In addition to legally regulated access, other measures also play a role in ensuring that skilled migrants remain in Germany. For this reason, the article examines the questions of how vocational education and training (VET) providers initiate the integration of migrants, which structural elements target capabilities, and how they perceive their own potential. Methods: As part of an EU-funded project, a document analysis and problem-centred interviews were conducted. A total of 40 stakeholders from different status groups in Germany (e.g., employers, VET institutions) from various sectors were interviewed. Using an analytical framework based on Heckmann's integration theory and Nussbaum's capability approach, the interviews were analysed with regard to the research questions focussing on four specific capabilities. Findings: The analysis revealed that most accessibility measures focused on the structural dimension of integration. To promote social participation, a greater social inclusion is required. All identified measures also showed potential for the four specific capabilities, but only to a limited extent. VET providers are aware of the importance of labour migration and the associated responsibilities, but more general initiative is needed, as much of the work has so far been based on individual commitment. Conclusion: A holistic view of the integration process of migrants requires the inclusion of these individuals' perspectives. It also became clear that the conversion factors of migrants play an essential role in transforming capabilities into functionings, so that the analysed promotion of capabilities merely reflects potential and is determined by the individual resources of migrants.
Keywords: Capabilities, Labour Migration, Skilled Workers Immigration Act, Sustainable integration, Vocational education and training
Received: 30 Oct 2025; Accepted: 15 Dec 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Klaus and Kühn. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Frieda Klaus
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