Hannover Region promotes recruitment of foreign skilled workers

There is a shortage of young talent and skilled workers are desperately sought after: It is becoming increasingly difficult for companies to find qualified trainees and employees. This is why, since 2021, the Hannover Region has been supporting local companies in recruiting and integrating new skilled workers and trainees from third countries such as Tunisia and Egypt.

With the "Welcome to Hannover Region" project, the Hannover Region Employment Promotion Agency cooperates with the GermanSociety for International Cooperation(GIZ) and the FederalEmployment Agency (BA) to recruitskilled workers from abroad. TheHanoverChamber of Commerceand Industry and theHanoverChamber of Trade and Craftsare responsible for recognizing the qualifications of the new employees. The project is funded by the Lower Saxony Ministry of Economic Affairs, Labour, Transport and Digitalization.

For Ulf-Birger Franz, Head of Economic Affairs, this is an important project - also in view of the current energy crisis:

"There is a shortage of skilled workers not only in the catering and retail sectors, but also in the electrical and construction industries. With 'Welcome to Hannover Region', we are explicitly targeting companies that are driving forward the accelerated energy transition here locally with a focus on electrical and electrometal professions."

The potential of skilled workers from non-EU countries is currently hardly being exploited due to the complicated legal procedures, says the head of the economic department:

"Small and medium-sized companies in particular can quickly lack the experience and personnel capacity torecruitskilled workersfrom abroad andsuccessfully integrate them into the company. With this pilot project, we are bringing all those involved for regional companies together at one table and reducing bureaucratic hurdles",

says Ulf-Birger Franz about the Hannover Region Economic Development Agency's partner network.

To ensure that the new skilled workers and the companies have a successful start to their employment, theHannover RegionEconomicand Employment PromotionAgency project offers comprehensiveintegration support for up to six months: In addition to interviews between interested companies and the potential new employees, the participating companies and skilled workers receive support in dealing with the authorities and the recognition of foreign qualifications.

"With welcome events as well as diversity and onboarding training, we want to break down barriers and create a good basis for a sustainable working relationship for both the participating companies and the skilled workers," explains project manager Tornike Murtskhvaladze.

A concept that works, as the initial experiences of the participating companies show.

"For years, it has become increasingly difficult for local specialist companies like ours to find new trainees and journeymen."

saysMaikWehrhahn, Managing Director of Klimatherm GmbH & Co. KG fromHanover, describing the general situation in the industry:

"Thanks to the 'Welcome to Hannover Region' project, we have now been able to fill a position with a well-trained employee from Tunisia, for which we had previously been unable to find any suitable applicants despite intensifying our search."

The integration of skilled workers from third countries into everyday working life in Hanover is working, as TimStrecker from Elektro Strecker GmbH reports:

"As a family business, it is particularly important to us that our employees, some of whom come from abroad, feel comfortable not only at work, but also in their personal environment." The support provided by the project when dealing with the authorities and language support helps companies and skilled workers to integrate into everyday life."

The recruitment of skilled workers abroad is carried out in cooperation with the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and the Federal Employment Agency (BA) via the partner project THAMM ("Towards a Holistic Approach to Labour Migration Governance and Labour Mobility in North Africa").

"With the THAMM project, the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH is piloting fair and safe labor migration from Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia to Germany."

explains AndreaMilkowski, THAMM Program Manager atGIZ:

"For this to succeed, partnerships between actors such as ministries, authorities and institutions in the field of work and migration in North Africa and Germany are important. Since the beginning of 2021, there has been a successful cooperation with the Hannover Region, which is actively involved in the placement of project participants."

TheHanoverChamber ofIndustryand Commerce (IHK)and theHanover Chamber of Crafts(HWK) ensure that the qualifications of skilled workers from abroad are quickly recognized on the German labour market.

Dr.Carl-Michael Vogt, Deputy Managing Director of the Hanover Chamber of Skilled Crafts:

"For us, it is a matter of course tocontributewith a qualifiedrecognition procedureand to help ensure that skilled workers can be quickly integrated into the skilled trades labor market with their educational qualifications. In the future, we will also offer in-company post-qualification courses and are still looking into incorporating this offer into the overall package."

The Chamber of Industry and Commerce also contributes its expertise in the immigration of skilledworkers from third countries to the "Welcome to Hannover Region" project:

"Our member companies are increasingly focusing on securing skilled workers through the recognition of foreign professional qualifications."

says Prof.Dr. Günter Hirth, Head of Vocational Training at the Hanover Chamber of Industry and Commerce, describing the current situation:

"Immigrant skilled workers are increasingly applying for recognition of their professional qualifications directly from their country of origin via the Skilled ImmigrationAct. This proportion recently rose to around 40 percent at the IHK's Recognition Office."

The project is funded by the Lower SaxonyMinistry of Economic Affairs, Labour, Transport and Digitalization withthe Start-Guide guideline.

"Securing skilled workers isundoubtedly one of the most important issues of our time",

explains Economics Minister Dr. Bernd Althusmann:

"It is therefore very important to us to support the local recruitment of skilled workers, especially for small and medium-sized companies, with our funding projects. We are delighted that our Start Guide project Welcome to Hannover Region is so actively supporting the recruitment of skilled workers here in Hannover with a wide range of measures. The Hannover Region is thus positioning itself as an internationally attractive place to work and live - with an actively practiced welcoming culture."

Further information and contact details for the "Welcome to Hannover Region" pilot project can be found at www.wirtschaftsfoerderung-hannover.de/welcome