Minister: Danish job market needs international students

With a start investment of DKK 3 million, the Danish government is to pilot projects to attract and retain international graduates to work in Denmark. The projects will be a collaboration between universities, Danish regions and businesses. This is according to a recent release from the Danish Ministry of Higher Education and Science.

Read also the University Post in-depth interview with Esben Lunde Larsen here.

The number of international students in Denmark almost doubled from 2008 to 2014. By 2014 almost 10 percent of all higher education students were internationals.

“It is positive to see so many foreign students in Denmark, but when we use resources to educate them, we should also do more to retain them in the Danish labour market afterwards,” said Minister of Education Esben Lunde Larsen in a recent press release.

Private and public sector project

The pilot projects will strive to make working in municipalities and regions outside of Copenhagen, where qualified workers are needed, more attractive to internationals.

It is the conditions of the Danish job market – including wages, work hours and opportunities – that matter to international students when they choose to remain in the country after their education, according to a recent study.

“This is not a challenge that can be solely solved through political measures – we must collaborate with businesses to help even more graduates find work in Denmark. We know that many international students want to stay here and we should utilise them.” says Esben Lunde Larsen.

Follows internationals’ career study

The study ‘International students in Denmark’ shows that graduates from technical or health science programmes in particular are inclined to stay in Denmark.

It is compiled by the Danish Agency for Higher Education, and the part of the Danish Agency for Labour Market and Recruitment that now falls under the auspices of the Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration. The study follows another from 2013, namely, the ‘International students’ career plans’.

Read the study (in Danish) here: ‘International Students in Denmark’ .

universitypost@adm.ku.dk

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