Success record of the Welcome Centres

Contact points in Baden-Württemberg are well received & provide targeted help

"Securing skilled labour is one of the top issues in our companies. However, many small and medium-sized enterprises find it difficult to recruit skilled workers from abroad and integrate them into the company. At the same time, many qualified people from abroad as well as foreign students at local universities also have questions about working and living in Baden-Württemberg. This is where the work of the Welcome Centres comes in. With their dedicated work, each Welcome Centre contributes to ensuring that a welcoming culture and securing skilled labour go hand in hand in Baden-Württemberg," said Minister of Labour and Economic Affairs Dr Nicole Hoffmeister-Kraut, giving a positive assessment of the activities of the Welcome Centres in 2021.

In 2021, the Welcome Centres in Baden-Württemberg advised a total of around 3,150 international skilled workers and around 630 companies. At over 300 information events, a further 4,500 international professionals and around 1,300 companies were reached.

The nine regional Welcome Centres as well as the Welcome Centre Sozialwirtschaft Baden-Württemberg, which has state-wide responsibility and is particularly responsible for the care and education sectors, advise international professionals on entry, residence, application and job search, language acquisition, recognition of foreign professional qualifications and life in Germany. They also inform and support small and medium-sized enterprises in particular in recruiting skilled workers from abroad and integrating them into the company.

In about 3,800 consultations with about 3,150 international skilled workers, the focus was on job search and applications, entry and residence regulations, language and recognition of professional qualifications. Eighty per cent of the enquiries from international experts came from Germany, 20 per cent of the international experts advised were abroad. The number of enquiries from abroad increased by almost a fifth compared to 2020, which is likely due to the expanded use of digital event and counselling formats by the Welcome Centres.

The international professionals advised came from 128 different countries, four-fifths of which were third countries. India, Turkey and Syria were the most frequent countries of origin, followed by the EU states Italy and Romania. Most of the international experts advised had an academic or formal education in their country of origin or an academic education in Germany or professional experience in their country of origin.

In the case of the approximately 630 companies, a total of around 820 consultations focused on entry and residence regulations, recruitment, recognition of professional qualifications and integration into the company.

Further information on the Welcome Centres

The Welcome Centres in Baden-Württemberg, which were established in 2014, serve in particular small and medium-sized enterprises as a contact, initial advice and information point for questions relating to the recruitment and rapid, successful integration of international skilled workers. At the same time, the Welcome Centres are also an important point of contact for international professionals and their families, including international students at the state's universities. Initial counselling covers topics such as entry and residence regulations, information about the regional labour market and its companies, job search and application, recognition of professional qualifications and German language courses. By networking the Welcome Centres with each other and with partners in the regional labour market, the Welcome Centres are comprehensive competence centres for the labour market integration of international skilled workers. As a result, they can also serve as an initial source of information for companies in the state on the accelerated procedure for skilled workers.

The Ministry of Economics, Labour and Tourism is currently funding the Welcome Centre Nordschwarzwald and Welcome Centre Technologieregion Karlsruhe, among others. Both are first points of contact for activities around Karlsruhe, www.welcomecenter-bw.de