Most nursing students focus on clinical training. But in addition to this, the students of the KJ Somaiya School of Nursing in Mumbai are learning German, part of a unique initiative designed to help students explore career opportunities abroad.
The language is introduced as a compulsory subject in the first year of the course so that all students are exposed to it and can decide whether they wish to continue with it. Interested students can continue it as an elective for the remaining years until they complete the required level of German training to work there. As a result of this unique opportunity, the first group of four students is expected to travel to Germany in December 2026.
Principal of the university, Dr Avani Oke, said this initiative started in 2023. After realizing the potential career opportunities for nursing graduates in Germany, the university signed two MoUs: with Centrepoint Personnel, an Indian company that offers training in German and with Zentrum Personal GMBH, a German company that facilitates employment for nursing graduates in Germany. “Around the same time, the Nursing Council of India issued a circular on the possibility of teaching foreign languages to nursing students to explore global career opportunities, which worked in our favour.”
According to the information shared by the university, training in German includes levels: A1, A2, B1, B2. Students must have at least a B2 level of German language to be eligible for job opportunities in Germany.
When the program began, seniors began with the introductory level and four students from this group are now expected to move to Germany later this year. But now this is more structured to include German training during nursing studies.
Dr. Oke further explained the structure and highlighted that Somaiya College is one of the first to start offering this type of blended training. “The university offers two courses: General Nursing and Midwifery (GNM), a three-year course and Bachelor of Nursing, a four-year course.
The first level of German language, A1, is introduced as a compulsory subject in the first year and includes approximately 60 hours of training. Students who pass this level may choose to continue with higher levels.
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In the Bachelor of Nursing program, the four levels of German training are distributed over the four years, one level per year. In the GNM course, levels A2 and B1 are combined in the second year. In both courses, the B2 level is taught in the final year focusing on conversation skills that require students to communicate in German.”
Dr. Oke said the remaining three levels of the German language come with a nominal fee charged to students to ensure that they become responsible for attending classroom training. “This amount will be refunded once the student passes the level,” Dr Oke said. Of the 40 students per course, 15 from the GNM course and four from the Bachelor of Nursing course have expressed interest in pursuing training in German after having completed the first level during the first year of the course.
