Economic Development Agency and IQ Network Thuringia open "Welcome Center Jena"

New contact point at Teichgraben advises skilled workers and companies

A new contact point for all questions relating to working and living in Jena is now open at Teichgraben 5:
The "Welcome Center Jena" - an initiative of the Jena Economic Development Agency (JenaWirtschaft) in cooperation with the IQ Network Thuringia - informs skilled workers from Germany and abroad about the wide range of career opportunities in the City of Light, guides newcomers through their first steps in the city and advises local companies on recruiting foreign employees. The advice is free of charge and is aimed at anyone who has questions about "working and living" or needs support in Jena, their new home. The Jena facility is the first municipal Welcome Center in Thuringia.

Welcome Center Jena is an important location factor

Cornelia Meyerrose and Johanna Scholz from the "Fachkräfteservice" team of the Jena Economic Development Agency have already been providing advice by telephone or video conference for around one and a half years; the public contact point has now been launched at Teichgraben 5. The IQ Network Thuringia is also strengthening the team with Dana Wunderlich and Ev Sauerbrey. As part of the nationwide funding program "Integration through Qualification (IQ)", they advise interested companies and international skilled workers on employment and residency opportunities.

We know from our study on skilled workers that Jena is particularly dependent on international employees due to demographic change, so that companies can continue to operate successfully,

says JenaWirtschaft Managing Director Wilfried Röpke.

Jena must be well positioned to compete with other locations for the best minds. With the new Welcome Center, we are supporting Jena's companies by informing interested skilled workers about the diversity of companies and sectors, showing specific job offers via our JobPortal and answering questions about job searches, applications and starting a career.

On-site advice for companies and skilled workers

Especially if you come to Jena from abroad, starting a new life can be challenging. This is where the IQ Network comes in, offering advice not only on residence law issues but also on the recognition of professional qualifications. Steffen Jacobi, state coordinator for the IQ Network Thuringia, emphasizes:

'By providing case-based support to companies, we want to provide them with targeted assistance in hiring foreign skilled workers. For many companies, especially SMEs, this is new territory. We want to lower the hurdles.

Cornelia Meyerrose from the Welcome Center Jena also advises local companies, for example on how to recruit foreign skilled workers and how to integrate international team members successfully:

Particularly at the beginning, it is important to have good support from mentors, for example, who are available to answer questions and solve problems,

says Cornelia Meyerrose.

A welcoming culture in the company helps new employees feel at home and therefore stay for the long term.

Her colleague Johanna Scholz, who primarily advises skilled workers, adds:

It is important that the family members who move with them also find a connection quickly and, for example, that partners:innen gain a foothold in appropriate employment.Individual support and networking are particularly important here. After all, each person brings their own professional background with them,

says Johanna Scholz.

For a cosmopolitan and colorful Jena

Mayor Dr. Thomas Nitzsche also knows that this is an important offer:

There are extensive support services for different needs and target groups in the city. Knowing about each other and making use of synergy effects is the basis for making Jena's welcoming culture visible both internally and externally and for further expanding it. As a hub, the Welcome Center Jena should play a central role in this.

According to the Lord Mayor, the trusting cooperation with the city administration is already well established. The Lord Mayor is particularly pleased about the broad approval the project received from the city council when it was applied for: the political decision for the Welcome Center Jena was made in 2019 without a single vote against or abstention.

We are a cosmopolitan, colorful city in which all people should feel at home, and we must actively shape this aspiration,

said Nietzsche. The Welcome Center Jena is another important building block towards this goal.