Working together for sustainable integration: Practical forum highlights international employment in the Münsterland region
How can companies successfully attract, integrate and retain international skilled workers from third countries in the long term? Around 50 participants discussed this topic at the ‘Practical Forum on International Employment’ on 7 October at FIEGE Logistik X-DOCK in Münster. Münsterland e.V. organised the event in cooperation with the economic development agencies of the districts of Borken, Coesfeld, Steinfurt and Warendorf, as well as the Jobcentres in the Münsterland region.
The forum focused on concrete real-world experiences. To kick things off, Dr Ursula Bertels from the Association for Ethnology in Schools and Adult Education (University of Münster) gave a keynote talk on the importance of intercultural skills for successful onboarding. Using specific examples, she illustrated how intercultural misunderstandings can arise and how to deal with them. Bertels advised against making hasty judgements about the behaviour of immigrants, urging participants instead to question the underlying context and seek dialogue.
In the two workshop sessions that followed, Westmünsterland Hospital, Sander Pflege GmbH and Münster University Hospital, as well as Huesker Synthetic GmbH & Co. KG, the town of Billerbeck and the Employment Agency provided valuable practical insights, which were the subject of lively discussion and enriched by the group’s own experiences.
It became clear during the workshop sessions that integration does not end at the workplace. It is particularly successful where immigrants also experience inclusion and support in their everyday lives. Organising housing, developing language skills and building social networks is a joint task for the entire region.
“Attracting international skilled workers is only the first step. It is just as important to make their arrival easier and to retain them in companies and the region in the long term. This requires good structures and a dialogue on what works in practice,” says Monika Leiking, Head of the Onboarding@Münsterland Service at Münsterland e.V.
The practical forum demonstrated what is possible when stakeholders across the region pull together. It was aimed in particular at HR managers who wish to employ skilled workers from third countries or who have already gained experience in doing so. Stakeholders from local authorities and other organisations involved in international employment were also invited.
The project consortium’s next event is just around the corner: ‘Münsterland Workplace Welcome Guides’ on 17 November 2026 at Münsterland e.V. at Münster/Osnabrück Airport. The event is aimed at companies wishing to prepare for the employment of international skilled workers. Further information can be found at www.muensterland.com/internationals.
