Train and Retain – Career Support for International Students (September 2013 – July 2015)

When it comes to attracting skilled foreign labour, international students are increasingly seen as ‘model immigrants’: They are well-trained, their credentials are fully recognized and many of them are already familiar with the language and culture of their host country.

Recent studies show that many international students need additional support to successfully enter the labour markets of their respective host country. In theory, student support services such as international offices and career services are well-positioned to assist international students in their transition. In reality, however, very little is known about whether these service units actually adjust their support to the needs of international students, and to what extent they collaborate with local employers and government agencies. To find out more, the SVR Research Unit will conduct the first-ever international mapping of study-to-work related support services in four countries (Canada, Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden). By surveying key personnel at public colleges and universities in four countries the SVR Research Unit seeks to identify institutional facilitators in the study-to-work transition as well as the extent to which they collaborate.

The research project was funded by the Stiftung Mercator and the Stifterverband. The results were published in the second quarter of 2015.

The project was carried out in collaboration with the following project partners: the Canadian Bureau for International Education (CBIE), the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), the Career Service Netzwerk Deutschland (CSND), the Netherlands Organisation for International Cooperation in Higher Education (Nuffic) and the Swedish Council for Higher Education (UHR).

Publications

Study

Train and Retain. Career Support for International Students in Canada, Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden