The ReDI School of Digital Integration has inaugurated its first teaching facility in the Bavarian capital. Josef Schmid, Mayor and Head of the City's Department of Labor and Economic Affairs, opened the new educational center together with Anne Riechert, founder of the school, and Cisco CEO Oliver Tuszik.
The ReDi School was founded in Berlin in 2016 and is dedicated to teaching refugees and migrants IT skills, thus enabling them to enter the German job market. And the concept is working, as around 150 immigrants have already found paid jobs or internships through this program. Eight percent of the 300 graduates have founded their own IT companies, and around a third have continued their studies at a German university. Currently, 100 volunteers from 26 countries work as teachers at the ReDi School.
Integration through training
This success story is set to continue in Munich. That's why the City of Munich supports the ReDI School through the Munich Employment and Qualification Program (MBQ).
“For immigrants, training is an important step in the social integration process,”
says Anne Riechert, founder and managing director of ReDI School.
"We are therefore particularly pleased about the support from the City of Munich, local project partners and sponsors who make the establishment of the new ReDi School possible."
“Win-win situation for everyone”
Mayor Joseph Schmid is pleased about the new location of the ReDi School in Munich:
"As a municipality, we welcome the commitment of the volunteer teachers, the companies, and the potential IT specialists. The project serves as a model for the integration of refugees and migrants into the labor market and is a true win-win situation for everyone."
Oliver Tuszik from Cisco about the technology company's motivation for becoming an educational partner of the ReDi School of Digital Integration:
"For Cisco, IT training is one of the most important pillars of its digitalization strategy for Germany. That's why we, together with other partners, support the ReDI School—not only financially, but also with manpower: Some of our employees volunteer to offer courses and act as mentors to the students."
