Freie Universität Berlin

FUSE is a project of Freie Universität Berlin to improve academic success and employment qualifications and is designed and implemented by the Career Service, the enter for Academic Advising and Psychological Counseling and the Division of International Affairs. The project aims to address the labor shortage in the Berlin-Brandenburg region and simultaneously meet the demand of international Master's students for a successful career after graduation. A comprehensive range of measures will improve both students' academic success and professional qualifications as well as the search for and qualification of skilled workers. Specifically adapted to the circumstances of Freie Universität Berlin and the Berlin-Brandenburg region, it contributes significantly to securing a qualified workforce.

For more than 3,000 international Master's students at the Freie Universität Berlin, FUSE enables a seamless transition into their studies, a clear supporting framework, social involvement during their studies, carefully thought-out career prospects and concrete ideas of a professional career in Germany through internships. Equipped with self-confidence and the necessary qualifications, a career as a specialist in Germany becomes a tangible possibility right from the beginning of their studies. For companies and institutions in the Berlin-Brandenburg region, FUSE provides a realistic assessment of graduates' qualifications and allows for direct contact during their studies for targeted recruitment.

The project's set of measures covers an entire student life cycle and complements individual measures with the structural development of viable cooperation networks both within and outside the university. A special feature of the project is its involvement of the departments in its planning, which makes it possible to reach a very large number of students and connect them with the equally complex employer market. The project integrates existing tools for advising and supporting international students as well as for the integration of Master's graduates into the job market. Self-directed digital approaches (digital multimedia information center) and social interactions (peer mentoring, live workshops, networking events) are combined. Targeted interventions address and enable the various facets of academic success and labor market integration:

• to ensure academic success by advising and supporting international Master's students, especially in the entry and final phases of their studies
• to increase enthusiasm and ability for and knowledge of employment in Germany for Master's students, in particular through internships and career guidance related to their studies, and
• enable seamless transitions from the university to the skilled labor market in the region.

 FUSE is being funded by the DAAD until December 2028 with resources from the BMBF as part of the FIT program line.