Nordic lure

Polish students already constitute just over four percent of all international students studying in Denmark. They are the sixth-largest group among foreign full-degree students and are tied with Americans for the fifth-largest group among exchange students. But Denmark wants more Poles to study at its universities and will hold a conference to familiarize them with technical university programs.

The Danish government admits that like other countries in the region, it lacks skilled workers. "We are trying to do something about it. We are working on it but we still have a shortage of engineers," said Bertel Haarder, Danish Minister of Education. "Over 500 Polish students are already in our educational institutions. We still invite Polish engineers and Polish students and since we are short of engineers, we would like the number to double or even triple," he added.

Many Polish students in Denmark are already thinking of staying. The number of those who have completed their studies at home and find Denmark an attractive place to live and work is also growing.

According to the Danish statistical office, in 2007 work permits were granted to over 11,000 Poles, which amounts to almost 40 percent of all permits issued last year. Since Poland's EU accession, the number of Poles legally living and working in Denmark has increased threefold.

The formal procedures are relatively simple - Poles only have to apply for a work permit. However, the procedure has been simplified even further in the case of the healthcare and construction sectors, among others.

The number of Poles in Denmark may soon grow even higher, since this latest initiative to attract Poles to study at Danish technical schools is not the first of its kind. Just last year, the Danish Ministry of Labor organized a job fair in Warsaw. The Danes looked to lure such experts as engineers and technical specialists.

Andrzej A. Wróbel