Article on ZDFheute
The successful recognition of Pelumi Oyediran’s professional qualification in Germany was worth a visit to PTA IT-Beratung in Mannheim for the Second German Television (ZDF). Born in Nigeria, he studied to become an IT specialist in his home country and until the start of the war in Ukraine, and his qualification has now also been recognized here in Germany. A successful step and contribution to the labor market integration of foreign specialists: Oyediran is now permanently employed in his traditional profession at the Mannheim IT consultancy.
The shortage of skilled workers affects all sectors
Many companies from every conceivable sector are dependent on foreign specialists.
Recruiting qualified IT specialists is also an issue that PTA IT-Beratung is pursuing with vigor, as Managing Director Matthias Wossidlo knows: “There is also a shortage of specialists in the IT sector. That’s why we have definitely intensified our recruiting efforts in this area in recent years.”
Even if the recognition process was not easy, the Mannheim-based IT consultancy has made an important contribution to securing skilled workers in Germany.
According to a recent long-term study by the digital association Bitkom, there will be a shortage of around 663,000 IT specialists in Germany in 2040 if politicians do not take decisive countermeasures.
The association assumes that 149,000 vacancies in the IT sector cannot currently be filled.
The numbers are rising: The Recognition Act is having an impact
The German government set the course and therefore introduced the so-called Recognition Act back in 2012 as an instrument to secure the demand for skilled workers in Germany. And this instrument is now having an effect, even if all those affected still have to overcome some bureaucratic hurdles and the process is complicated. Fortunately, the number of foreign professional qualifications being recognized is rising steadily: In 2023, 65,300 foreign professional qualifications were recognized, an increase of 25 percent compared to the previous year. This is of great importance for labor market integration and securing skilled workers. And the success rate is also impressive: After successful recognition, nine out of ten skilled workers with a foreign professional qualification are employed in Germany.
Pelumi Oyediran is no exception: “It wasn’t an easy journey, but it all worked out in the end. This journey has taught me a lot: patience and resilience.” The trained IT specialist has now been contributing his expertise to the PTA Group since February 2024. A win-win situation for both sides.
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