"Welcome Center Jena" opens its doors

A new contact point for all questions about "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 professionals from Germany and abroad about the many professional opportunities in the City of Light, accompanies newcomers in their first steps on site 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, the new place to live. The Jena facility is the first municipal Welcome Center in Thuringia.

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

"We know from our skilled labor study 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. "In competition with other locations for the best minds, Jena must be well positioned. With the new Welcome Center, we support Jena's companies by informing interested skilled workers about the diversity of companies and industries, pointing out concrete job offers via our JobPortal and answering questions about job searches, applications and starting a career."

Especially when coming to Jena from abroad, starting out in a new place of life can be challenging. This is where the services of the IQ Network come in, providing advice not only on residence issues but also on the recognition of professional qualifications. Steffen Jacobi, state coordinator for the IQ Network Thuringia, emphasizes: "By providing case-related support to companies, we want to provide them with targeted assistance in hiring foreign skilled workers. For many, especially medium-sized companies, this is uncharted territory. We want to lower the hurdles with this."

Cornelia Meyerrose from the Welcome Center Jena also advises local companies, for example, on how to recruit foreign specialists and how to successfully integrate international team members: "Especially at the beginning, good support is important, for example through mentors who are available to answer questions and solve problems," says Cornelia Meyerrose. "A welcoming culture that is lived out in the company helps new employees feel at home and thus stay in the long term."

Her colleague Johanna Scholz, who primarily advises skilled workers, adds: "It's important that relatives who move in with us also find their feet quickly and, for example, that partners get a foothold in appropriate employment." Individual support and networking are particularly important. After all, each person brings their own unique professional background with them, says Johanna Scholz.

An important offer, knows also mayor Dr. Thomas Nitzsche: In the city there are extensive support offers for different needs and target groups. Knowing about each other and using synergy effects is the basis for making Jena's welcome culture visible both internally and externally and also for expanding it further. As a hub, the Welcome Center Jena should play a central role in this." The trusting cooperation with the city administration is already well established, said the mayor. The mayor is particularly pleased with the broad approval the project received in the city council when it was applied for: the political decision for the Welcome Center Jena was made in 2019 without a dissenting vote or abstention. "We are a cosmopolitan, colorful city in which all people should feel comfortable, and we must actively shape this claim," Nietzsche said. The Welcome Center Jena is another important building block for this goal.