The IT skills gap: A German-Palestinian perspective 

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The IT skills gap: A German-Palestinian perspective A tale of two skills gaps The German tech industry is booming - but companies are struggling to find enough qualified IT professionals. In fact, there are currently record-breaking 149,000 IT jobs are currently unfilled - a figure that has risen by 12,000 compared to the previous year [1].

This shortage is seen as a "systemic problem for the German economy" and is likely to worsen due to the ageing population and the accelerated digital transformation [2].

In Palestine, on the other hand, a different challenge is emerging: high unemployment among the young, well-educated population. Youth unemployment is almost 28% in the West Bank and almost 69% in the Gaza Strip [3]. Today, these figures have probably doubled or even tripled in Palestine due to widespread destruction and economic paralysis, leaving thousands of capable young people with no prospects for the future.

This means that tens of thousands of skilled young people are looking for new opportunities. This contrast - jobs without people in Germany and people without jobs in Palestine - defines the IT skills gap from a German-Palestinian perspective.

Palestine's untapped tech talent

Despite economic challenges, Palestine has a growing pool of tech-savvy youth and graduates. Every year, universities produce skilled engineers and computer scientists, leading to underemployment and brain drain. Many Palestinian graduates are underemployed or working outside their field, not because they lack skills or ambition, but because there is a lack of opportunities. At the same time, German companies are faced with a "shortage of IT specialists" that is "independent of economic cycles" [2].

So there is an obvious opportunity: To combine the untapped talents of Palestine with the unmet needs of Germany. The shortage is expected to worsen as the population ages. It is obvious that a win-win situation can arise here: connecting Palestine's untapped talent potential with Germany's unmet needs. However, this requires a bridge - a bridge that ensures Palestinian talent meets global standards and is ready to integrate into international teams.

Axsos Academy: Building the bridge

This is where the Axsos Academy comes in, a mission-oriented tech academy that was born out of precisely this vision of bridging worlds. The academy was launched in 2020 by Axsos AG - a German IT company with an intercultural approach - and aims to "close the gap between education and employment".

How? By training Palestinian youth in in-demand IT skills and connecting them with companies in the local and international market.

The academy's approach is global and collaborative from the ground up. Students in Ramallah learn cutting-edge technologies and professional skills, often in coordination with the requirements of German industry. In essence, Axsos Academy creates a "pool of qualified tech talent ready for the local and global market".

This talent pool is not only technically adept, but also prepared for remote work - with fluency in English, experience in intercultural teamwork and online collaboration.

Several important pillars enable the Axsos Academy to close the German-Palestinian skills gap:

  • Immersive Bootcamps: Intensive 16- to 18-week programs that focus on real-world projects and the latest technologies so graduates can get into a job right away. From full-stack web development to data science, the curriculum is aligned with international industry requirements. As the academy itself says: "We focus on practical skills so that you are not only ready for your first job, but also for the future." 
  • Soft skills and work culture: Beyond programming, students acquire soft skills such as teamwork, communication and problem solving. The training includes career counseling, life coaching, mock job interviews and teamwork exercises to produce well-rounded professionals. This enables graduates to integrate smoothly into German corporate environments or global teams.
  • Outsourcing and placement opportunities: Thanks to Axsos' connections to Germany and beyond, graduates are placed in local and international positions via an outsourcing model. To date, over 120 companies have hired Axsos Academy graduates, including many in Europe. The Academy works closely with employers (conducting interviews, matching and even legal induction) to ensure a smooth recruitment process for all parties involved. The results speak for themselves. 

To date over 600 tech talents have been trainedof which 75% have found employment within six months of graduation.

Each new cohort of developers, data scientists and QA engineers contributes to a high-quality talent pool that can alleviate the skills shortage in Germany while reducing unemployment in Palestine. This is a powerful example of how investing in skills can solve two problems at once - a truly collaborative, global solution.

Let's close the gap together.

  • To find out how you can train or hire employees, visit axsos.academy
  • For the latest information and news, follow us on Linkedin
  • To discuss partnership requirements, make an appointment

Quality knows no boundaries - the real proof is in stories like these:

  • Jehad, who now works in a multinational tech team, impressed his employer so much that they expanded their investment in Palestinian talent, saying his "precision and expertise opened doors". 
  • Montaser, another graduate, was appreciated not only for his technical skills, but also for his leadership and development skills - qualities that every employer values. 

These graduates not only close the skills gap, but also set new standards for global remote talent.

The German-Palestinian cooperation at the Axsos Academy goes beyond simply filling vacancies. It builds cultural bridges. Graduates often work remotely with German teams, bringing with them a diversity of thought and a strong work ethic shaped by the Academy's intensive program. In return, they gain international experience and receive mentoring. This mutual exchange promotes understanding and shows how global the tech community really is.

It is a mission-oriented initiative: empowering Palestinian youth while closing Germany's skills gap. By training Palestinian job seekers to become ready developers for the global market, the Axsos Academy is an example of a collaborative approach to solving the international skills shortage.

A global win-win situation

The Axsos Academy is a clear example of what is possible when education, industry and social commitment go hand in hand:

  • Germany is gaining qualified specialists who are ready to contribute to the digital world of work. 
  • Palestinian young people are given a career that changes their lives. 
  • Companies everywhere gain access to diverse, resilient and mission-driven tech talent. 

In summary, it can be said that bridging the IT skills gap between Germany and Palestine is not just theory - it is already happening. With every graduate recruited, a German company gains urgently needed talent and a Palestinian youngster embarks on a promising career.

It's a story of hope, collaboration and mutual growth. To learn more about partnering with Axsos Academy or hiring their talented graduates, connect with us on LinkedIn or visit our website. Together, we can continue to close the gap - and change lives on both sides in the process.

This is more than just solving a labor shortage - it is building global bridges, transforming lives and creating a model for sustainable technological development.

Let's close the gap - together.

  • To learn how you can hire employees, visit axsos.academy!
  • To collaborate with us, follow us on LinkedIn! 
  • To discuss partnership requirements, make an appointment! 

References

  1. Bitkom industry study - 149,000 unfilled IT jobs in Germany, 2023.
  2. Bitkom, "Skills shortage in IT: a systemic problem", 2023. 
  3. Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, Youth Unemployment Report, 2023. 

What happens when you combine both sides in a targeted and precise way?

At Axsos Academy, we're not just closing the IT skills gap - we're building careers, creating opportunities and helping organizations gain access to resilient, remote-ready tech talent. Read the full story about how a German-Palestinian partnership turns challenges into solutions!

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Jamil Isayyed

Jamil is an experienced digital process professional, has a rich international background in the information technology and services industry spanning Germany, Greece and Palestine. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science and a Scrum Master certification from the Scrum Alliance with a focus on Computer Software Engineering. Jamil is passionate about leading and building high-performance teams that deliver exceptional experiences and create valuable opportunities for clients. In addition to his main role, he is the Director of Axsos Academy GmbH. In this role, he leads a dynamic German-Palestinian bootcamp designed to help young people enter the IT market and build a successful career.

Bernd Length

Bernd Länge has been working in the IT industry for over 20 years and advises clients and interested parties on cyber security issues as well as on the development and implementation of information security management and data protection. In this role, he acts as an external data protection and information security officer for clients. It is important to him to take a pragmatic approach and work closely with clients, partners and vendors to ensure that clients' enterprise security is up to date.

Martin Müller

As a technology enthusiast and committed leader, he has been helping companies in the IT sector to shape the future of work for over 20 years. Thanks to his quick thinking and ability to develop effective solutions, he is able to formulate a clear vision of what our future way of working will look like. Step by step, he overcomes challenges and drives us forward into the future. However, he does not accomplish these tasks alone. He has a competent team that he trusts completely and can rely on. Together they overcome every hurdle! Through positive, critical thinking, the second-best solution often leads to incremental success - after all, even an empire wasn't built in a day. This approach makes him unique in his role and he looks forward to working with you on the path to the future.

Rolf Stephan

His enthusiasm for information technology led Rolf to study computer science and graduate from the University of Karlsruhe, now the KIT / Karlsruhe Institute of Technology. Rolf has been working in the IT sector ever since and knows the industry inside out - both nationally and internationally. For more than 25 years, he has focused on international cooperation between experts across all cultures. He also pursued this approach in the first company he founded, AD Solutions AG, which quickly developed into a renowned international IT service provider with several branches in Germany, Switzerland, Austria and the USA. Rolf Stephan has been General Manager since 2010 and CEO of AXON IVY AG, headquartered in Switzerland, since 2021. He has been an investor, shareholder and Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Axsos AG since 2009.

Frank Müller

Frank is a passionate IT expert and visionary entrepreneur. He loves and believes in peace and freedom. For him, these values are more than just words. They are the result of great awareness, responsibility and a solid foundation. His foundation is his faith in Jesus and his unconditional love for people. Frank builds his great visions on this foundation, such as his commitment to peace in the Holy Land. He is not afraid to realize creative and unconventional ideas, such as founding a medium-sized company that spans four countries and cultures and offers its employees a great deal of freedom. Founding a bootcamp academy in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic is certainly one of these ventures. Through these efforts, Frank creates new innovations and added value for his customers and the people who travel with him. With more than 32 years of IT experience and 15 years as an entrepreneur, Frank helps other entrepreneurs focus on their core business and translate their needs into technology opportunities and implementations. His team and he can translate these requirements into a customized IT strategy, processes and technologies. Frank always has a heart for the people he supports and wants to encourage them to break new ground and develop their potential. Frank is open to exchanging ideas with people who see values not as CSR or marketing chatter, but as the basis of their actions. He seeks contact with people who want to change the world for the better. He also welcomes those who are looking for support from him or his team on their journey into the cloud, digitalization or the use of AI.