Our approach

Driving change – with the right person in the right place at the right time

Knowledge transfer is a key ingredient of migration and international labour mobility. Working on behalf of the German Federal Government, CIM facilitates the transfer of knowledge from individuals to developing countries and emerging economies.

People who contribute their professional know-how, extensive personal experience and cultural skills in a new working environment can act as drivers of change. In order to make this knowledge available where it is needed in Germany’s partner countries, CIM has established two specific development policy approaches.

Our objective

As a service provider in the field of German international cooperation, CIM develops new and carefully targeted approaches to labour mobility. In cooperation with our partner countries, we devise strategies that reinforce the positive effects of migration. In this context, our main objective is to promote sustainable forms of development that benefit all those involved – countries of origin, host countries, experts and migrants alike.

Knowledge transfer through international labour mobility

If employers in developing countries and emerging economies are unable to find suitable candidates for key positions, they can ask CIM to supply an international expert. In response, CIM places skilled personnel and experienced managers from the German and EU labour market. All such experts receive a salary top-up from Federal Government funds. This arrangement gives ministries, organisations and companies working in the development sector in Asia, Africa, South and Central America and South-East Europe access to technical and managerial expertise that they would otherwise be unable to source from the local labour market. The role of those experts is then to pass on their knowledge and, by doing so, to help bring about important changes.

Migration for development

We believe that migration offers great potential for sustainable development. The expertise, ideas, experience and contacts that migrants bring with them can help their countries of origin to meet the challenges of the future. CIM supports migrants who wish to put the knowledge and skills they have acquired in Germany to good use in their country of origin by, for example, taking on a specialist role, starting a new business or working for an association. We can also advise people and organisations such as government ministries in our partner countries on migration for work purposes.