Erfurt (dpa/th) – Young people from abroad are increasingly starting an apprenticeship in Thuringia. The leading Erfurt Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IHK) announced on Thursday that more than 40 young people were recruited for training this year through a funding program called “Transnational Specialists for Thuringia”. At 32, the majority of the new trainees came from Ukraine and Mongolia.
She was officially welcomed on Thursday by Prime Minister Bodo Ramelow (left) and IHK President Dieter Bauhaus. “We don’t have to care where you come from, but we don’t care where you go. Thuringia needs immigration and young people,” said Ramelow, according to the State Chancellery. It’s about professionals of the future.
In Thuringia, the gap between apprenticeship offers and applicants has been widening for years. Many economic sectors and administrations are desperately looking for young professionals. Apprenticeship positions remained vacant. The chambers have therefore been running campaigns for years to recruit young people directly in their home countries, including Vietnam.
According to the regional directorate of the Federal Employment Agency, the number of trainees with foreign passports in Thuringia has risen continuously in recent years. While there were only 234 foreign trainees in 2010, their number rose to 886 in 2015. In 2020 there were 2035 and at the end of last year 2385. This is according to data from the regional directorate.
