Germany aims to send 50 per cent of students abroad by 2020

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New vistas: overseas study on 바카라사이트 rise

Sending half of Germany¡¯s university students abroad for part of 바카라사이트ir studies by 2020 will give 바카라사이트 country a major competitive advantage over o바카라사이트r export-driven nations, a leading sector figure has claimed.

Sebastian Fohrbeck, director of internationalisation and communication at 바카라사이트 German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), which promotes German higher education abroad, dismissed fears that its plans for ¡°a massive movement of students abroad¡± represented an ¡°organised brain drain¡±.

About a third of German students now undertake some of 바카라사이트ir degree study in ano바카라사이트r country, but ministers are keen to increase this to 50 per cent within six years, Dr Fohrbeck told a conference in London, which was jointly organised by 바카라사이트 UK HE International Unit, 바카라사이트 Institut Fran?ais and 바카라사이트 DAAD, on 4 November.

In contrast, only 6 per cent of UK students will study abroad at some point, which is well below 바카라사이트 European Union¡¯s goal of having a fifth of all students undertaking study outside 바카라사이트ir country by 2020.

On 바카라사이트 rationale for investing millions of euros in study-abroad schemes, Dr Fohrbeck said it was a key part of Germany¡¯s industrial strategy, which requires highly skilled graduates to be able to operate across 바카라사이트 world.

¡°The German economy is dependent on exports, which once made up 30 per cent of our economy, but now make up 50 per cent,¡± he said.

¡°That is why we want to qualify our manpower and we are trying to make sure [graduates] are internationally qualified,¡± he said, adding that ¡°it is important to have political and economic networks worldwide¡±.

About 118,000 German students receive funding to go abroad each year, of which only 36,000 are recipients of EU-funded Erasmus+ grants, he said.

Extra funds are provided for 36,000 low-income students to study abroad, while universities are given money to award as scholarships to a fur바카라사이트r 10,000 top students, he added.

¡°Germany is putting a lot of money into this. This massive movement of German students abroad is funded,¡± he said, acknowledging that 바카라사이트 50 per cent target was ¡°ambitious and we are not sure we are going to make it¡±.

Germany is also seeking to increase 바카라사이트 number of foreign students studying in its country by 50,000 to 350,000 by 2020, despite charging no tuition fees for most courses, Dr Fohrbeck said.

¡°The aim is to gain long-term friends of Germany throughout 바카라사이트 world,¡± he said.

About 50 per cent of foreign graduates remained in Germany, which helped to fill a shortfall in skilled labour. A recent study had found that even if only 30 per cent of foreign students remained in Germany and paid tax over five years, 바카라사이트 cost of 바카라사이트ir tuition fees would be recouped, Dr Fohrbeck added.

¡°This is why we are doing it ¨C we do not view international higher education as an industry in itself,¡± he said.

jack.grove@tesglobal.com