First online integration course in Aalen: vhs success story!

First online integration course in Aalen: vhs success story!

A milestone in integration work has now been reached in Aalen! The first online integration course at the Adult Education Center (vhs) Aalen came to a successful conclusion with 18 participants. This innovative course, which began in November 2023 and now ends in May 2025, marks an important step for people who are unable to attend face-to-face courses for various reasons. Reasons such as inadequate public transport connections, childcare or health restrictions played a role, reports Swabian newspaper.

With this course, vhs Aalen is the first educational institution in East Württemberg to offer a digital course on integration. Around two thirds of the participants come from East Württemberg, while others have come from as far away as Schorndorf, Lake Constance, Lower Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein.

Online course and the learning structure

The online course included a total of 600 hours of German lessons up to level B1 and 100 hours of lessons in politics, society and history. These lessons took place via the Zoom platform, with a maximum of four lessons per session. Before the course began, participants were comprehensively prepared, including an onboarding event and a kickoff meeting to make it easier to get started in the online format. The required access data and other information were provided, explains the vhs Aalen.

The teachers who supervised the course were available to advise the participants if they had any questions and accompanied their learning progress. Support was offered virtually as well as via email and telephone, including the German test for immigrants (DTZ). All participants then completed the orientation course, which covered fundamental topics about Germany, such as the structure of the German state and interpersonal interactions.

Ceremonial graduation

The completion of the course was duly celebrated! The participants met for the first time in person for the dtz exam and the ceremonial conclusion took place in the Aposto restaurant in Aalen. Here the fresh graduates were able to enjoy their success together and are already planning the next step in their integration. And that's not all: there are still places available in the new online integration course after the Whitsun holidays, which is a good offer for those interested.

For anyone who is interested in continuing their education and immersing themselves in society, there is more information on the vhs Aalen website. The next step towards integration is already waiting and the vhs Aalen remains an excellent contact point for people who want to familiarize themselves with the German language and culture, as well as on the website BFZ described.